|M/*\I  TO 
i'UUK 


jBBHU*m» 


FOUR  AMERICAN  INDIANS 


KING  PHILIP 
PONTIAC 


TECUMSEH 
OSCEOLA 


A  BOOK  FOR  YOUNG  AMERICANS 


BY 

EDSON  L.  WHITNEY  AND  FRANCES  M.  PERRY 


NEW  YORK    -:-    CINCINNATI    -:-    CHICAGO 

AMERICAN  BOOK  COMPANY 


/ 


Copyright,  1904,  by 
EDSON  L.  WHITNEY  and  FRANCES  M.  PERRY 

Four  Am.  Ind. 


W5- 


CONTENTS 


THE  STORY  OF  KING  PHILIP 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  PHILIP'S  PEOPLE 9 

II.  PHILIP'S  CHILDHOOD  HOME 12 

III.  MASSASOIT  AND  His  Two  SONS     ....  15 

IV.  PHILIP  HEARS  OF  THE  ENGLISH     ....  19 
V.  PHILIP  MEETS  THE  ENGLISH 23 

VI.  PHILIP'S  EDUCATION 26 

VII.  PHILIP'S   DAILY    LIFE 30 

VIII.  PHILIP'S  RELATIONS  WITH  THE  ENGLISH  .      .  34 

IX.  PHILIP  BECOMES  GRAND  SACHEM                      .  37 

X:  PHILIP'S  TROUBLES  WITH  THE  WHITES     .      .  39 

XL  PHILIP  AND  THE  INDIAN  COUNCILS     ...  42 

XII.  KING  PHILIP'S  WAR 45 

XIII.  THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  PHILIP 48 


CONTENTS 


THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  THE  MEETING  OF  PONTIAC  AND  THE  ENGLISH  53 

II.  PONTIAC'S  CHILDHOOD 59 

III.  PONTIAC'S  EDUCATION 62 

IV.  THE  CHIEF 66 

V.  THE    PLOT 7° 

VI.  THE  SEVENTH  OF  MAY 74 

VII.  HOSTILITIES  BEGUN 79 

VIII.  THE  Two  LEADERS 84 

IX.  THE  SIEGE  OF  DETROIT 89 

X.  IMPORTANT  ENGAGEMENTS 95 

XI.  THE  END  OF  THE  SIEGE 101 

XII.  ALL  ALONG  THE  FRONTIER 104 

XIII.  THE  LAST  OF  PONTIAC no 


CONTENTS 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  EARLY  YEARS.      .      .      . 117 

II.  YOUTH 121 

III.  ADVENTURES  OF  THE  YOUNG  BRAVE     ...  125 

IV.  TECUMSEH  DISSATISFIED 128 

V.  TECUMSEH'S  BROTHER,  THE  PROPHET     .      .  133 

VI.  GREENVILLE 137 

VII.  THE  PROPHET'S  TOWN 144 

VIII.  THE  COUNCIL  BETWEEN  HARRISON  AND 

TECUMSEH 149 

IX.  PREPARATIONS  FOR  WAR 155 

X.  THE  BATTLE  OF  TIPPECANOE 161 

XL  REORGANIZATION  OF  THE  INDIANS     .  .  166 

XII.  TECUMSEH  AND  THE  BRITISH 17° 


CONTENTS 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  THE  EXODUS  OF  THE  RED  STICKS  ....  179 

II.  THE    FLORIDA    HOME 183 

III.  THE  FIRST  SEMINOLE  WAR 189 

IV.  GRIEVANCES 194 

V.  THE  TREATY  OF  PAYNE'S  LANDING     .      .      .  202 

VI.  HOSTILITIES 207 

VII.  THE  WAR  OPENED 212 

VIII.  OSCEOLA  A  WAR  CHIEF 219 

IX.  THE  SEMINOLES  HOLD  THEIR  OWN     .      .     .  223 

X.  OSCEOLA  AND  GENERAL  JESUP 228 

XL  THE  IMPRISONMENT  OF  OSCEOLA     ....  233 

XII.  THE  END 238 


THE    STORY    OF 

KING   PHILIP 


BY 

EDSON  L.  WHITNEY 


THE  STORY  OF  KING   PHILIP 


I.     PHILIP'S   PEOPLE 

Philip,  ruler  of  the  Wampanoags,  was  the  only  Indian 
in  our  country  to  whom  the  English  colonists  gave  the 
'title  of  king.  Why  no  other  Indian 
ever  received  this  title  I  cannot  tell, 
neither  is  it  known  how  it  happened 
to  be  given  to  Philip. 

The  Wampanoags  were  a  tribe  of 
Indians  whose  homes  were  in  what  is 
now  southeastern  Massachusetts  and 
in  Rhode  Island  east  of  Narragansett 
Bay.  A  few  of  them,  also,  lived  on 
the  large  islands  farther  south,  Nan- 
tucket  and  Martha's  Vineyard. 

Three  centuries  ago  Massasoit, 

Philip's  father,  was  the  grand  sachem,  or  ruler,  of  the 
Wampanoags.  His  people  did  not  form  one  united  tribe. 
They  had  no  states,  cities,  and  villages,  with  governors, 
mayors,  and  aldermen,  as  we  have.  Nor  did  they  live 
in  close  relations  with  one  another  and  vote  for  common 
officers. 

On  the  other  hand,  they  lived  in  very  small  villages. 
A  few  families  pitched  their  wigwams  together  and  lived 


A   GRAND  SACHEM 


10 


THE   STORY  OF   KING   PHILIP 


in  much  the  same  way  as  people  do  now  when  they  camp 
out  in  the  summer. 

Generally,  among  the  Wampanoags,  only  one  family 
lived  in  a  wigwam.     The  fathers,  or  heads  of  the  families 


WIGWAMS 

in  the  different  wigwams,  came  together  occasionally  and 
consulted  about  such  matters  as  seemed  important  to 
them. 

Every  one  present  at  the  meeting  had  a  right  to 
express  his  opinion  on  the  question  under  consideration, 
and  as  often  as  he  wished.  All  spoke  calmly,  without 
eloquence,  and  without  set  speeches.  They  talked  upon 
any  subject  they  pleased,  as  long  as  they  pleased,  and 
when  they  pleased. 


PHILIP'S   PEOPLE  I 

The  most  prominent  person  in  a  village  was  called 
the  sagamore.  His  advice  and  opinion  were  generally 
followed,  and  he  governed  the  people  in  a  very  slight 
manner. 

The  Indians  of  several  villages  were  sometimes  united 
together  in  a  petty  tribe  and  were  ruled  by  a  sachem,  or 
chief. 

The  chief  did  not  rule  over  a  very  large  tract  of  coun 
try.  Generally  none  of  his  subjects  lived  more  than 
eight  or  ten  miles  away  from  him. 

He  ruled  as  he  pleased,  and  was  not  subject  to  any 
constitution  or  court  of  any  kind.  In  fact,  he  was  a 
leader  rather  than  a  ruler.  Nevertheless,  a  wise  chief 
never  did  anything  of  great  importance  without  first 
consulting  the  different  sagamores  of  his  tribe. 

The  chief  held  a  little  higher  position  in  the  tribe 
than  the  sagamore  did  in  his  village.  He  settled  dis 
putes.  He  held  a  very  rude  form  of  court,  where  justice 
was  given  in  each  case  according  to  its  merits.  He  sent 
and  received  messengers  to  and  from  other  tribes. 

As  several  villages  were  united  in  a  single  petty  tribe, 
so  also  several  petty  tribes  were  loosely  joined  together 
and  ruled  over  by  a  grand  sachem. 

The  different  Wampanoag  tribes  which  owed  allegi 
ance  to  Philip  and  his  father,  Massasoit,  were  five  in 
number  besides  the  small  bands  on  the  islands  of  Nan- 
tucket  and  Martha's  Vineyard.  The  village  where  the 
grand  sachem  lived  was  called  by  them  Pokanoket. 


12  THE   STORY  OF   KING   PHILIP 

II.    PHILIP'S   CHILDHOOD   HOME 

Massasoit  had  several  children.  •  The  eldest  son  was 
named  Wamsutta,  and  the  second  Metacomet.  In  later 
years,  the  English  gave  them  the  names  of  Alexander 
and  Philip,  which  are  much  easier  names  for  us  to  pro 
nounce. 

We  do  not  know  the  exact  date  of  Philip's  birth,  for 
the  Indians  kept  no  account  of  time  as  we  do,  nor  did 
they  trouble  to  ask  any  one  his  age.  It  is  probable, 
however,  that  Philip  was  born  before  1620,  the  year  in 
which  the  Pilgrims  settled  near  the  Wampanoags. 

Philip  spent  his  boyhood  days  playing  with  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  and  with  the  neighbors'  children ; 
for  although  he  was  the  son  of  a  grand  sachem,  he  had 
no  special  privileges  above  those  of  the  other  children 
around  him. 

We  are  apt  to  think  of  a  prince  as  a  man  that  does 
very  little  work.  We  expect  him  to  attend  banquets,  to 
be  dressed  in  military  uniform,  with  a  beautiful  sword  at 
his  side  and  many  medals  on  his  breast,  to  be  surrounded 
by  servants,  and  to  have  everybody  bow  down  to  him 
and  stand  ready  to  do  his  bidding. 

It  was  very  different  with  Philip.  He  lived  in  no 
better  way  than  did  the  other  members  of  his  tribe.  His 
home  was  neither  better  nor  worse  than  theirs.  His 
food  was  of  the  same  quality.  His  daily  life  was  the 
same.  He  wore  no  uniform.  He  never  heard  of  medals 
or  badges.  He  had  no  servants.  His  father  differed 


PHILIP'S  CHILDHOOD   HOME  13 

from  the  other  Indians  only  in  being  their  leader  in  time 
of  war  and  in  being  looked  up  to  whenever  the  chiefs  of 
the  tribe  held  a  meeting,  or  council. 

Philip's  home  was  not  such  as  American  boys  and 
girls  are  brought  up  in.  There  were  no  toys,  no  baby 
carriages,  no  candy.  There  were  no  romps  with  the 
parents,  for  the  Indians  were  a  quiet,  sober  people,  and 
rarely  showed  any  affection  for  their  children. 

Philip's  father  never  played  any  games 
with  him.  In  fact,  in  his  younger  days  the 
boy  never  received  very  much  attention  from 
his  father.  He  was  taken  care  of  by  his 
mother.  He  was  never  rocked  in  a  cradle, 
but  was  strapped  in  a  kind  of  bag  made  of 
broad  pieces  of  bark  and  covered  with  soft 
fur.  Sometimes  he  was  carried  in  this  on  his 
mother's  back,  as  she  went  about  her  work. 
Sometimes  he  was  hung  up  on  the  branch  INDIAN  BABY 
of  a  tree. 

The  little  house  in  which  he  lived  was  called  a  wig 
wam.  It  was  circular,  or  oval,  in  shape,  and  made  of 
barks  or  mats  laid  over  a  framework  of  small  poles. 
These  poles  were  fixed  at  one  end  in  the  ground,  and 
were  fastened  together  at  the  top,  forming  a  framework 
shaped  somewhat  like  a  tent. 

Two  low  openings  on  opposite  sides  of  the  wigwam 
served  as  doors.  These  were  closed  with  mats  when 
necessary,  thus  making  the  place  tight  and  warm. 

The  wigwam  had  but  one  room.      In  the  middle  of  it 


THE   STORY   OF    KING   PHILIP 


were  a  few  stones  which  served  as  a  fireplace.  There 
was  no  chimney,  but  the  smoke  passed  out  through  an 
opening  at  the  top  of  the  wigwam. 

On  one  side  of  the  fireplace  was  a  large  couch  made 
of  rough  boards  raised  perhaps  a  foot  above  the  ground 
and  covered  with  mats  or  skins.  The  couch  was  very 

wide,  so  that  Philip  and 
the  rest  of  the  children 
could  lie  on  it  side  by 
side  at  night. 

There  was  no  other 
furniture  in  the  room.  A 
few  baskets  were  hung  on 
the  walls  ready  for  use. 
A  few  mats  were  placed 
here  and  there  as  orna 
ments.  The  dishes  that 
held  Philip's  food  were 

rude  vessels  made  of  baked  clay,  of  pieces  of  bark,  of 
bits  of  hollowed  stone,  or  of  wood. 

There  was  very  little  desire  to  keep  the  wigwam  neat 
and  tidy.  It  was  used  for  only  a  few  months,  and  then 
given  up  for  a  new  one  that  was  built  near  by.  In  the 
summer  it  was  customary  to  pitch  the  wigwa"m  in  an 
open  place.  In  the  winter  it  was  pitched  in  the  thick 
woods  for  protection  from  the  winds  and  storms. 

Such  was  the  home  in  which  Philip  was  brought  up. 
It  differed  but  , little  from  those  of  his  playmates,  for 
there  was  no  aristocracy  among  the  Indians.  The  place 


MOUNT   HOPE 


MASSASOIT  AND   HIS  TWO   SONS  15 

where  Massasoit  and  his  family  generally  lived  was  near 
the  present  site  of  Bristol,  on  a  narrow  neck  of  land  pro 
jecting  into  Narragansett  Bay.  It  is  now  called  Mount 
Hope,  and  is  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  southeast  of 
Providence,  Rhode  Island. 


III.     MASSASOIT  AND   HIS   TWO   SONS 


In  the  early  evening,  during  his  boyhood  days, 
Philip  delighted  to  sit  near  the  camp  fire  where  the  mem 
bers  of  his  tribe  were  wont  to  gather.  There  he  eagerly 
listened  to  the  stories  of  adventure  told  by  his  elders, 
and  wished  that  he- was  old  enough  to  enter  into  the 
sports  that  they  so  interestingly  described. 

Although  children  were  not  expected  to  talk  in  the 
presence  of  their  elders,  Philip  frequently  showed  his 


16  THE   STORY  OF    KING   PHILIP 

interest  in  their  stories  by  asking  many  questions  in 
regard  to  the  places  visited  by  the  older  Indians. 

In  those  days  news  traveled  slowly  from  one  little  vil 
lage  to  another,  for  there  were  neither  telegraphs  nor  tele 
phones;  no,  not  even  railroads.  In  fact,  there  were  no 
roads,  and  even  the  paths  through  the  woods  were  so 
little  used  that  it  was  difficult  to  find  one's  way  from  one 
place  to  another.  The  Indians  kept  no  animals  of  any 
kind,  and  always  traveled  from  place  to  place  on  foot. 

One  pleasant  evening  in  June,  in  the  year  1620, 
little  Philip  noticed  that  there  was  less  general  story 
telling  than  usual,  and  that  the  Indians  seemed  greatly 
interested  in  a  long  story  which  one  of  their  number  was 
telling.  He  could  not  understand  the  story,  but  he  fre 
quently  caught  the  words,  "Squanto"  and  "  English." 
These  were  new  words  to  him. 

The  next  evening,  as  Philip  and  his  brother  were  sit 
ting  by  the  fire,  they  asked  their  father  what  had  caused 
the  Indians  to  be  so  serious  in  their  talk,  and  what  the 
long  story  was  about. 

"Squanto  has  come  home,"  his  father  replied. 

''And  who  is  Squanto?"  asked  Philip. 

Then  his  father  told  him  a  story,  which  was  too  long 
to  be  repeated  here.  But  in  brief  it  was  as  follows: 

Several  years  before — long,  in  fact,  before  Philip  was 
born — a  ship  had  come  from  across  the  sea.  It  was 
larger  than  any  other  vessel  the  Indians  had  ever  seen. 

The  only  boats  that  Philip  knew  anything  about  were 
quite  small,  and  were  called  canoes.  They  were  made 


MASSASOIT  AND   HIS   TWO   SONS 


'7 


either  of  birch  bark  fastened  over  a  light  wooden  frame, 
or  of  logs  that  had  been  hollowed  by  burning  and 
charring. 

But  the  boat   from  across  the  sea  was  many  times 


INDIAN   IN  CANOE 

larger  than  any  of  theirs — so  Massasoit  explained  to  the 
boys — and  had  accommodations  for  a  great  many  men. 
Instead  of  being  pushed  along  by  paddles,  it  was  driven 
by  the  wind  by  means  of  large  pieces  of  cloth  stretched 
across  long,  strong  sticks  of  wood. 

The   Indians   did    not    go   down   to    the   shore,    but 


FOUR   IND.— 2 


iS  THE   STORY   OF   KING   PHILIP 

watched  this  boat  from  the  highlands  some  distance 
inland.  Finally  the  vessel  stopped  and  some  of  the  men 
came  ashore.  The  Indians  looked  at  the  strangers  in 
astonishment.  Their  skin  was  of  a  pale,  whitish  color, 
very  different  from  that  of  the  Indians,  which  was  of  a 
copper  or  reddish  clay  color. 

The  white  men,  or  the  pale-faced  men,  as  Massasoit 
called  them,  made  signs  of  friendship  to  the  Indians,  and 
after  a  few  minutes  persuaded  them  to  go  down  to  the 
shore.  There  the  two  peoples  traded  with  each  other. 
The  Indians  gave  furs  and  skins,  and  received  in  return 
beads  and  trinkets  of  various  kinds. 

When  the  vessel  sailed  away  it  carried  off  five  Indians 
who  had  been  lured  on  board  and  had  not  been  allowed 
to  return  to  shore.  These  Indians  had  not  been  heard 
from  since,  and  that  was  fifteen  years  before. 

Little  Philip's  eyes  increased  in  size,  and  instinctively 
he  clenched  his  fists  at  the  thought  of  the  wrong  that 
had  been  done  his  people  by  the  palefaces. 

His  father  went  on  with  the  story,  and  told  him  how 
the  Indians  then  vowed  vengeance  on  the  white  man; 
for  it  was  a  custom  of  the  Indians  to  punish  any  person 
who  committed  a  wrong  act  towards  one  of  their  number. 

From  time  to  time,  other  vessels  visited  their  shores, 
but  no  Indian  could  ever  be  induced  to  go  on  board  any 
of  them. 

Nine  years  later,  another  outrage  was  committed. 
The  palefaces  while  trading  with  the  Indians  suddenly 
seized  upon  twenty-seven  of  the  latter,  took  them  to 


PHILIP  HEARS  OF   THE   ENGLISH  19 

their  vessel,  and  sailed  away  with  them  before  they  could 
be  rescued.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  Philip  felt  that  the 
whites  were  his  natural  enemies? 

After  that  time,  Massasoit  said,  the  Indians  had  re 
fused  to  have  any  dealings  with  the  whites.  Whenever  a 
white  man's  vessel  came  in  sight,  the  Indians  prepared 
to  shoot  any  one  that  came  ashore.  And  now  another 
white  man's  vessel  had  arrived  on  the  coast,  and  several 
of  its  crew  had  landed  in  spite  of  all  that  could  be  done 
to  prevent  them. 

To  the  great  surprise  of  Massasoit's  men,  there  was 
an  Indian  with  these  palefaces.  And  that  Indian  proved 
to  be  Squanto,  one  of  the  five  who  had  been  taken  away 
fifteen  years  before. 

This  is  but  a  bare  outline  of  what  Massasoit  told  his 
sons.*"  It  seemed  to  the  lads  like  a  fairy  tale,  and  for 
days  they  talked  of  nothing  but  this  strange  story. 


IV.     PHILIP   HEARS   OF   THE    ENGLISH 

During  the  following  summer  young  Philip  heard 
many  an  interesting  story  about  the  English.  Squanto 
himself  came  to  see  Massasoit  several  times,  and  from 
him  Philip  heard  the  story  of  his  adventures  across 
the  sea. 

Late  in  the  fall,  long  before  Philip  had  lost  his  inter- 
est  in  the  stories  of  Squanto,  another  English  vessel 
arrived  on  the  coast  of  the  Indian  country. 


20 


THE   STORY   OF    KING   PHILIP 


On  the  eleventh  day  of  November,  1620,  the  vessel 
anchored  near  Cape  Cod.  Sixteen  palefaces  came 
ashore.  They  did  not  act  like  the  others  who  had  pre 
ceded  them.  They  made  no  effort  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  Indians,  but  spent  their  time  in  looking  around 
and  in  examining  the  country. 

They  found  four  or  five  bushels  of 
corn,  which  had  been  stored  for  the 
winter  by  an  Indian,  and  carried  it 
away  to  their  vessel. 

This  angered  the  Indians,  and 
we  can  well  imagine  the  thoughts 
that  passed  through  the  mind  of  the 
boy  Philip  when  he  heard  that  the 
English  had  stolen  the  corn  that 
belonged  to  a  poor  Indian,  one  of 
^>  his  father's  friends. 

The  Indians   talked  the    matter 

WATCHING  THE  PALEFACES 


Philip  listened  to  the  story  as  eagerly  as  he  had  listened 
to  the  story  of  Squanto  six  months  before. 

A  week  or  so  later,  more  news  came  to  Mount  Hope. 
The  palefaces  had  visited  the  shore  a  second  time,  and 
on  this  occasion  had  stolen  a  bag  of  beans  and  some 
more  corn. 

How  Philip's  anger  increased  as  he  heard  his  father 
talk  the  matter  over  with  the  other  Indians! 

A  few  days  afterwards  Philip  heard  still  other  news  of 
the  English.  They  had  come  ashore  a  third  time.  The 


PHILIP   HEARS  OF   THE   ENGLISH  21 

Indians  had  watched  them  from  a  distance.  Finally, 
when  a  good  opportunity  offered  itself,  thirty  or  forty 
Indians  quietly  surrounded  the  palefaces,  and  at  a  given 
signal  every  one  of  them  yelled  at  the  top  of  his  voice 
and  began  to  shoot  arrows  at  the  hated  visitors. 

For  a  time  it  looked  as  if  the  palefaces  would  be 
driven  into  the  water.  But  soon  they  fired  their  guns, 
and  the  Indians  ran  away  frightened  at  the  noise. 

Philip  was  greatly  interested  in  the  description  that 
was  given  of  a  gun.  He  had  never  so  much  as  heard  of 
one  before,  and  he  thought  it  very  strange  that  any  one 
should  be  afraid  of  little  pieces  of  lead.  He  could  not 
see  why  it  was  not  as  easy  to  dodge  bullets  as  it  was  to 
dodge  arrows. 

A  week  or  two  later  still  further  news  was  brought  to 
Massasoit's  village.  The  palefaces  had  left  Cape  Cod 
and  had  sailed  across  the  bay  to  Patuxet  (to  which  the 
English  gave  the  name  of  Plymouth).  There  they  had 
gone  ashore  and  had  built  some  log  cabins,  evidently 
with  the  intention  of  staying  for  some  time. 

This  was  something  that  the  Indians  could  not  under 
stand.  Every  day  some  of  them  went  to  the  top  of  the 
hill  which  overlooked  the  little  settlement  to  see  what 
the  English  were  doing.  Then  they  returned  to  Mount 
Hope  with  something  new  to  tell  about  the  palefaces, 
and  Philip  eagerly  listened  to  every  story  that  was 
related. 

Several  meetings  of  the  Indians  were  held  during  the 
winter,  at  which  Philip  was  always  present,  and  finally 


22  THE   STORY   OF   KING   PHILIP  , 

one  of  their  number,  whose  name  was  Samoset,  was  sent 
to  Plymouth  to  ask  the  English  why  they  had  settled  in 
this  land  which  belonged,  of  right,  to  the  red  men. 

Samoset  returned  a  few  days  later.  He  told  his 
story  to  the  Indians  around  the  camp  fire,  little  Philip, 
as  usual,  paying  great  attention  to  what  was  said. 

Samoset  said  that  the  palefaces  had  been  very  kind 
to  him,  and  had  told  him  that  they  had  come  to  this 
country  to  settle,  that  they  wanted  to  live  on  the  most 
friendly  terms  with  the  red  men,  and  that  they  desired 
to  pay  not  only  for  the  corn  and  beans  which  they  had 
taken,  but  also  for  the  land  on  which  they  had  built 
their  village. 

At  the  close  of  his  story  the  Indians  expressed  them 
selves  as  satisfied  with  the  palefaces,  and  Philip  felt  that 
perhaps  the  English  were  not  so  bad  as  he  had  thought 
them  to  be. 

Samoset  was  then  sent  to  the  settlers  to  tell  them 
that  Massasoit  and  some  of  his  friends  would  like  to 
meet  them  for  a  friendly  talk  about  many  things  that 
might  otherwise  become  a  cause  of  disagreement  between 
them.  He  brought  back  word  that  the  English  eagerly 
welcomed  the  opportunity  to  meet  the  Indians,  and  had 
offered  to  see  them  on  the  following  day. 


PHILIP   MEETS   THE   ENGLISH  23 

V.     PHILIP    MEETS   THE    ENGLISH 

The  next  day  Massasoit  and  sixty  of  his  warriors 
visited  the  English.  They  did  not  go  into  the  English 
village,  but  stopped  on  the  top  of  the  hill  near  by. 

Philip  was  not  with  them,  for  at  this  time  he  was  too 
young  to  go  so  far  away  from  home.  We  can  imagine 
his  feelings,  however,  when  he  saw 
his  father  and  the  warriors  start  out 
on  their  journey. 

They  were  dressed  in  costumes 
that  would  look  very  strange  if  seen 
on  our  streets  to-day.  Their  cloth 
ing  was  made  of  the  raw  skin  of  wild 
animals.  Their  feet  were  protected 
by  moccasins  made  of  thin  deer 
skin.  Each  one  was  tall,  erect,  and 
active,  with  long,  coarse,  black  hair  falling  down  his  back. 

None  of  them  had  any  physical  deformities,  for  it 
was  the  custom  of  the  tribe  to  kill  any  child  that  was 
born  deaf,  dumb,  blind,  or  lame. 

Each  one  was  decked  with  his  personal  ornaments. 
These  did  not  consist  of  gold,  silver,  diamonds,  or  any 
other  precious  stones  so  familiar  to  us.  The  Indians 
knew  nothing  about  these.  Their  ornaments  consisted 
of  ear-rings,  nose-rings,  bracelets,  and  necklaces  made 
out  of  shells  or  fish-bones  or  shining  stones,  which  were 
very  common  in  that  neighborhood. 

Their  faces  were  smeared  with  heavy  daubs  of  paint. 


24  THE   STORY  OF    KING   PHILIP 

Each  one  had  a  cloak  thrown  over  his  shoulders,  and  he 
also  wore  a  head-dress  made  of  feathers  or  quills.  To  Philip 
it  seemed  as  if  he  had  never  seen  anything  so  imposing. 

We  can  imagine  how  eagerly  Philip  listened  to  the 
story  that  his  father  told  when  he  came  back  home:  how 
the  settlers  came  out  to  meet  him  on  the  hill,  and  made 
him  a  present  of  three  knives,  a  copper  chain,  and  an 
ear-ring,  besides  several  good  things  to  eat,  very  different 
from  anything  he  had  ever  tasted  before. 

Then  Massasoit  described  the  treaty  that  he  had  made 
with  the  palefaces  in  which  the  settlers  and  the  Wam- 
panoags  had  agreed  to  remain  friends  and  to  help  each 
other  in  every  way  they  could.  To  make  the  treaty  as 
strong  as  possible,  the  palefaces  had  written  it  down  on 
paper  and  had  signed  their  names  to  it.  The  Indians 
did  not  know  how  to  read  or  write.  That  was  something 
that  they  had  never  heard  of  before.  But  they  drew 
rude  pictures  at  the  end  of  the  writing  and  called  these 
pictures  their  names. 

Philip  never  tired  listening  to  the  stories  about  the 
palefaces.  He  was  still  too  young  to  be  taken  to  their 
settlement,  but  he  longed  for  a  chance  to  see  them. 

Suddenly,  one  day  in  the  middle  of  the  summer  of 
162  i ,  about  four  months  after  the  Indians  had  made  their 
treaty  with  the  whites,  six  warriors  came  into  the  little 
Indian  village  at  Mount  Hope  with  two  men,  who  Philip 
saw  were  palefaces.  They  were  not  so  tall  as  the  In 
dians.  They  were  thicker  set,  and  their  faces  were 
covered  with  beards. 


PHILIP   MEETS  THE   ENGLISH  25 

Massasoit  recognized  them  immediately,  for  they 
were  some  of  the  party  that  he  had  met  at  Plymouth. 
They  had  come  on  a  friendly  visit  to  him,  and  had 
brought  him  a  red  cotton  coat  and  a  copper  chain.  Philip 
was  greatly  pleased  to  see  the  palefaces,  of  whom  he  had 
heard  so  much.  He  listened  to  their  stories,  answered 
their  inquiries  in  regard  to  Indian  life,  and  learned  what 
he  could  about  their  homes  and  customs. 

After  this,  the  settlers  called  on  the  Indians  many 
times,  and  Philip  soon  became  very  well  acquainted  with 
them. 

During  the  next  few  months  several  white  men  came 
from  England  and  settled  at  Weymouth,  a  few  miles 
north  of  Plymouth.  These  new  settlers  were  not  so 
honest  as  those  that  had  settled  at  Plymouth.  They 
stole  from  the  Indians  and  otherwise  injured  them,  and 
caused  them  to  plot  against  all  the  whites  in  the  country. 
But  before  their  plans  were  carried  out  Massasoit  was 
taken  sick.  The  medicine  man  was  called  in. 

The  medicine  man  was  the  physician.  He  had 
learned  the  medicinal  virtues  of  a  few  simple  herbs.  He 
knew  how  to  bind  up  wounds  in  bark  with  certain  prepa 
rations  of  leaves,  and  he  could  also  cure  a  few  fevers. 
He  went  through  many  magical  ceremonies  with  howls, 
roars,  and  antics  of  various  kinds.  If  the  sick  man 
became  well,  the  medicine  man  took  all  the  credit;  if 
the  patient  died,  then  the  medicine  man  said  that  the 
bad  spirit  had  too  strong  a  hold  on  him. 

But  the  medicine  man  did  not  help  Massasoit.      Philip 


26  THE   STORY   OF   KING  PHILIP 

watched  by  his  father's  side  and  saw  him  grow  worse 
day  by  day.  He  remembered  how,  only  a  few  years 
before,  the  smallpox  had  carried  away  large  numbers  of 
the  Indians,  and  now  he  began  to  think  that  the  days  of 
his  father,  too,  were  numbered. 

But  one  day  a  paleface,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
colony  at  Plymouth,  came  into  the  Indian  village.  He  sent 
the  medicine  man  away  and  tenderly  nursed  Massasoit 
himself.  He  gave  him  medicine,  nourished  him  with 
several  little  delicacies,  and  brought  him  slowly  back  to 
health. 

Massasoit  was  so  grateful  for  the  kindness  shov.  n  him 
that  he  told  the  palefaces  of  the  Indian  plot  against 
them. 

The  whites  at  Weymouth  were  driven  away  and  the 
palefaces  at  Plymouth  continued  to  live  on  most  excel 
lent  terms  of  friendship  with  the  Wampanoags. 

In  the  years  that  followed,  Philip  became  better 
acquainted  with  the  whites,  and  while  he  never  loved 
them,  he  had  great  respect  for  their  wisdom. 


VI.     PHILIP'S   EDUCATION 

During  the  next  twenty  years  many  more  white  men 
came  and  settled  on  or  near  the  lands  of  the  Wampanoags. 

In  the  mean  time,  Philip  grew  to  manhood  and  re 
ceived  the  same  education  that  was  given  to  the  other 
young  men  of  his  tribe.  It  was  very  different  from  the 
education  received  by  us  to-day.  The  Indians  had  no 


PHILIP'S   EDUCATION  27 

schools.  Philip  did  not  learn  his  A  B  C's  or  the  mul 
tiplication  table.  He  never  learned  how  to  read  or 
write.  He  knew  nothing  about  science,  and  could  not 
even  count,  or  keep  track  of  time. 

His  education  was  of  a  different  character,  and  was 
intended  to  make  him  brave,  daring,  hardy,  and  able  to 
bear  pain ;  for  these  things  were  thought  by  the  Indians 
to  be  of  the  greatest  importance. 

He  was  taught  to  undergo  the  most  horrible  tortures 
without  a  word  of  complaint  or  a  sign  of  anguish.  He 
would  beat  his  shins  and  legs  with  sticks,  and  run  prickly 
briars  and  brambles  into  them  in  order  to  become  used 
to  pain.  He  would  run  eighty  to  one  hundred  miles  in 
one  day  and  back  in  the  next  two. 

When  he  neared  manhood  he  was  blindfolded  and 
taken  into  the  woods  far  from  home  to  a  place  where  he 
had  never  been  before. 

There  he  was  left  with  nothing  but  a  hatchet,  a  knife, 
and  a  bow  and  arrows.  The  winter  was  before  him,  and 
he  was  expected  to  support  himself  through  it.  If  he 
was  unable  to  do  so,  it  was  better  for  him  to  die 
then. 

Philip  passed  the  lonely  winter  far  away  from  home. 
Many  times  did  he  wish  that  he  was  back  in  his  father's 
wigwam  where  he  could  talk  with  his  parents  and  his 
brothers  and  his  friends,  and  know  what  the  palefaces 
were  doing. 

But  he  knew  that  if  he  should  return  to  his  little 
village  before  the  winter  was  over  he  would  be  branded 


2$  THE   STORY   OF   KING   PHILIP 

as  a  coward,  and  never  be  considered  worthy  to  succeed 
his  father  as  sachem. 

What,  he,  Philip,  a  prince,  afraid?    No,  no,  no!     Of 
course  he  was  not  afraid.      What  was  there  to  be  afraid 


THE  YOUNG  HUNTER 

of?  Had  he  not  always  lived  in  the  woods?  Still,  he 
was  a  little  lonely,  and  once  in  a  while  he  wanted  some 
one  to  talk  with. 

So  Philip  went  to  work  with  a  will.  With  his  hatchet 
he  cut  down  some  small  trees,  made  them  into  poles, 
and  placed  one  end  of  them  in  the  ground.  With  his 
knife  he  cut  some  bark  from  the  trees  and  laid  it  over 


PHILIP'S   EDUCATION  29 

the  poles  so  that  he  had  a  fairly  comfortable  shelter  from 
the  storms  and  winds  which  he  knew  would  soon  surely 
come.  Then  he  spent  several  days  in  hunting  birds  and 
wild  game  in  the  forest.  With  his  bow  and  arrows  he 
shot  enough  to  support  himself  through  the  winter. 

Many  an  adventure  did  he  have.  Many  a  time  did 
he  lie  down  at  night  without  having  tasted  food  during 
the  whole  livelong  day.  Many  a  savage  beast  did  he 
see,  and  on  several  occasions  he'climbed  trees,  or  crawled 
into  caves,  or  ran  as  fast  as  he  could,  to  get  out  of  their 
way. 

But  he  had  a  strong  will.  He  knew  that  the  son  of 
the  grand  sachem  of  the  Wampanoags  could  do  anything 
that  any  other  Indian  had  done.  And  so  he  passed  the 
long,  cold  winter,  bravely  and  without  complaining. 

In  the  spring,  when  his  father  and  friends  came  after 
him,  they  found  him  well  and  strong.  His  winter's  work 
had  made  him  healthy  and  rugged.  He  was  taken  home, 
and  a  feast  was  prepared  in  honor  of  Massasoit's  son  who 
had  returned  to  his  home  stronger  than  when  he  had 
gone  away  the  fall  before. 

During  the  next  two  moons — for  the  Indians  counted 
by  moons  and  not  by  months  as  we  do — Philip  led  an 
idle  life.  He  did  no  work  of  any  kind.  He  was  taking 
his  vacation  after  the  hard  winter  life  he  had  led  alone 
in  the  woods. 

But  his  education  was  not  yet  finished.  His  body 
had  been  made  strong.  It  was  next  necessary  to 
strengthen  his  constitution  against  the  evil  effects  of 


3°  THE   STORY   OF    KING   PHILIP 

poison.  He  again  went  into  the  forest,  and  daily  found 
poisonous  and  bitter  herbs  and  roots.  These  he  bruised 
and  put  the  juices  into  water,  which  he  drank. 

Then  he  drank  other  juices  which  acted  as  antidotes 
and  prevented  his  sickness  or  death.  He  did  this  day 
after  day  until  his  constitution  became  used  to  the  poisons, 
and  he  was  able  to  drink  them  freely  without  any  harm 
coming  to  him. 

Then  he  went  home.  The  people  sang  and  danced  and 
gave  him  another  great  feast.  He  was  now  considered 
a  man  and  ready  to  marry  and  have  a  wigwam  of  his  own. 

The  wedding  ceremony  was  extremely  simple.  There 
were  no  presents,  no  flowers,  no  guests,  no  ceremony, 
no  banquet.  Philip  simply  asked  a  certain  woman  to 
come  and  live  with  him.  She  came  and  was  thereafter 
his  wife,  or  squaw,  as  the  Indians  called  her. 

We  have  no  record  of  the  date  of  his  marriage,  for 
the  Indians  kept  no  such  records.  We  only  know  that 
it  took  place  soon  after  his  return  from  his  battle  with 
poisons  in  the  woods. 


VII.     PHILIP'S   DAILY  LIFE 

We  should  consider  the  daily  life  of  Philip  very 
monotonous.  It  was  the  same,  day  by  day,  year  in  and 
year  out,  with  very  little  change.  The  little  village 
where  he  lived  contained  fewer  than  one  hundred  inhabi 
tants.  Everybody  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
everybody  else. 


PHILIP'S   DAILY   LIFE  31 

There  was  no  society  such  as  we  have  to-day. 
Philip's  squaw  did  not  dress  herself  up  in  the  afternoon, 
and  make  calls  on  the  other  squaws.  If  she  wished  to 
talk  with  them  she  went  where  they  were,  whether  it 
was  morning,  afternoon,  or  evening. 

There  were  no  parties,  no  receptions,  no  theaters, 
no  art  museums,  no  libraries,  no  books,  no  music,  no 
fireworks,  no  holidays,  no  Sabbath.  The  Indians  be 
lieved  in  a  good  and  a  bad  spirit,  but  they  had  no 
churches  or  temples  or  service  or  worship  or  priests. 

So  we  cannot  think  of  Philip  sitting  in  the  best  pew 
in  church,  and  listening  to  a  grand  sermon,  preached  by 
the  most  famous  minister  in  the  country.  Philip  knew 
nothing  of  sermons. 

He  played  no  games  that  instructed  his  mind.  He 
cared  for  only  such  games  as  would  strengthen  his  body, 
increase  his  power  of  endurance,  or  develop  his  muscle 
or  his  craftiness.  With  the  other  Indians  he  played 
football,  tossed  quoits,  wrestled,  ran,  and  jumped. 

Occasionally  he  engaged  with  them  in  the  war  dance. 
This  was  performed  in  a  very  solemn  manner.  It  repre 
sented  a  war  campaign,  or  a  sham  battle,  as  we  say. 
First,  the  Indians  came  together  from  different  direc 
tions.  Then  they  marched  forward  stealthily  and  quietly, 
lay  in  ambush,  awaited  the  coming  of  the  enemy,  sud 
denly  jumped  out  and  rushed  upon  them,  slaughtered 
them,  retreated,  and  finally  went  home.  The  dance 
ended  with  the  reception  at  home,  and  the  torturing  and 
killing  of  the  prisoners. 


32  THE   STORY   OF    KING   PHILIP 

These  were  his  amusements.  His  occupations  were 
two  in  number:  hunting  and  fishing. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year,  and  again  in  the  spring,  he 
spent  about  three  months  in  hunting.  In  company  with 
his  brother  or  some  close  friend,  he  went  in  search  of  a 
supply  of  meat  for  the  use  of  the  family,  and  of  skins  to 
sell  to  the  white  men  or  to  use  for  clothing. 

After  reaching  the  hunting-grounds,  they  built  a  big 
wigwam  where  they  stayed  at  night.  There  also  they 
stored  the  skins  of  the  animals  they  had  captured. 

Many  stones  might  be  told  of  the  exciting  adventures 
they  had  with  bears  and  wolves.  The  woods  of  New 
England  contained  many  moose  and  other  wild  animals, 
and  generally  Philip  returned  to  his  little  village  with 
meat  enough  to  last  all  winter.  Frequently  he  brought 
home  as  many  as  one  hundred  beaver  skins. 

But  Philip,  like  others,  had  bad  luck  sometimes. 
Now  and  then  he  lost  his  way  in  the  woods,  and  on  one 
or  two  occasions  the  raft  on  which  he  was  taking  his 
skins  across  the  river  upset  and  the  results  of  his  winter's 
labor  were  lost. 

He  captured  his  game  by  shooting  or  snaring,  or  by 
catching  it  in  pitfalls.  When  the  hunting  season  was 
over  he  spent  his  time  in  fishing.  Generally  he  caught 
his  fish  in  nets,  although  occasionally  he  used  a  hook 
and  line. 

When  not  engaged  in  hunting  or  fishing,  or  attending  a 
meeting  of  Indian  princes,  he  was  generally  to  be  found 
near  his  wigwam,  asleep  or  watching  his  squaw  at  work. 


PHILIP'S   DAILY   LIFE 


33 


All  the  work  around  the  wigwam  was  done  by  his  wife 
or  squaw.  According  to  the  Indian  view  she  was  his  slave. 
She  covered  and  lined  the  wigwam,  plaited  the  mats  and 
baskets,  planted,  tended,  and  harvested  the  corn  and 
vegetables,  cooked  the  food,  ate  the  leavings,  and  slept 
on  the  coldest  side  of  the  wigwam. 


SQUAWS  AT  WORK 

Many  Indians  did  not  care  very  much  for  their  squaws, 
and  made  their  lives  miserable  by  treating  them  badly, 
and  showing  them  no  sympathy  nor  love  in  any  way 
whatever.  But  we  are  told  that  Philip  was  better  than 
the  other  Indians  in  this  respect.  He  loved  his  wife 
and  treated  her  as  a  companion  instead  of  as  a  slave. 

Philip  had  no  pots  and  kettles  like  ours.  His  wife 
roasted  his  meat  by  placing  it  on  the  point  of  a  stake. 

FOUR   1ND.— 3 


34  THE    STORY   OF    KING   PHILIP 

She  broiled  it  by  laying  it  on  hot  coals  or  hot  stones. 
She  boiled  it  in  rude  vessels  made  of  stone,  earth,  or  wood, 
and  heated  the  water  by  throwing  hot  stones  into  it. 

Philip's  only  garden  tool  was  a  hoe,  made  of  clam 
shells  or  of  a  moose's  shoulder-blade  fastened  to  a  wooden 
handle.  He  also  had  a  rude  axe  or  hatchet  made  of  a 
piece  of  stone,  sharpened  by  being  scraped  on  another 
stone,  and  tied  to  a  wooden  handle.  His  arrows  and 
spears  were  tipped  with  bone  or  with  triangular  pieces  of 
flint.  These  were  all  home-made,  for  Philip,  like  other 
Indians,  was  obliged  to  make  his  own  hatchets  and 
arrows. 

Finally,  Philip  never  went  to  the  store  to  buy  things 
to  be  used  at  home,  for  the  Indians  kept  no  stores.  His 
wife  raised  the  corn,  squashes,  and  pumpkins,  and  he 
caught  his  own  fish  and  game.  These,  with  nuts,  roots, 
and  berries,  gave  him  all  the  food  he  needed. 


VIII.     PHILIP'S   RELATIONS   WITH   THE    ENGLISH 

Such  was  the  daily  life  of  Philip  year  after  year,  with 
but  little  change.  Occasionally  he  met  the  palefaces  in 
the  woods  or  at  his  father's  village.  Now  and  then  he 
went  to  Plymouth  and  traded  with  them.  Several  of 
them  he  considered  to  be  his  strong  personal  friends. 

We  have  already  seen  how  greatly  interested  he  was 
in  his  boyhood  days  at  the  coming  of  the  white  men  and 
how  friendly  he  felt  toward  them  at  that  time.  He,  his 


PHILIP'S    RELATIONS  WITH   THE   ENGLISH          35 

father,  and  the  other  Wampanoags  continued  to  remain 
on  friendly  terms  with  the  English,  although  several  other 
Indian  tribes  did  not. 

Between  the  years  1628  and  1640  many  white  people 
settled  forty  or  fifty  miles  north  of  Plymouth,  in  what  is 
now  Boston  and  Salem,  and  other  cities  and  towns  near 
Massachusetts  Bay. 

Others  settled  inland  on  the  Connecticut  River,  near 
the  present  boundary  line  between  Massachusetts  and 
Connecticut,  about  seventy-five  miles  west  from  Mount 
Hope,  the  home  of  Philip.  Others  settled  at  Providence, 
and  still  others  on  the  island  of  Rhode  Island,  fifteen  to 
twenty  miles  south  of  Mount  Hope. 

The  settlers  on  the  Connecticut  had  trouble  with  the 
Pequots,  a  tribe  of  Indians  living  to  the  west  of  the 
Wampanoags,  and  in  the  war  that  followed,  all  the  Pe 
quots  were  killed.  The  whites  also  had  trouble  with  the 
Narragansetts,  who  lived  near  Providence,  outbreaks 
occurring  every  year  or  two  for  several  years. 

During  these  years  Philip  and  his  father  did  nothing 
to  injure  the  settlers  in  any  way.  They  refused  to  aid 
the  other  Indians  in  their  wars  with  the  English,  prefer 
ring  to  remain  faithful  to  their  early  treaty  with  the 
whites;  and  the  whites  remained  on  the  most  friendly 
terms  with  them. 

Philip  knew  nothing  of  the  Christian  religion.  Several 
attempts  were  made  by  the  whites  to  convert  the  Indians 
to  Christianity.  In  1646,  John  Eliot  translated  the  Bible 
into  the  Indian  language,  taught  the  Indians  the  English 


36  THE    STORY    OF   KING  PHILIP 

habits  of  industry  and  agriculture,  and  established  near 
Boston  two  towns  composed  entirely  of  converted 
Indians. 

At  the  same  time,  Thomas  Mayhew  preached  to  the 
Wampanoags  on  Martha's  Vineyard,  and  there  converted 
a  great  many.  By  the  year  1675,  four  thousand  Indians 
had  been  converted  to  Christianity. 

But  the  missionaries  were  not  successful  with  Philip 
and  the  Wampanoags  at  Mount  Hope.  They  utterly 
refused  to  listen  to  the  preachers.  They  preferred  their 
former  mode  of  life,  and  there  were  several  good 
reasons  for  this  preference,  as  they  thought. 

Philip  noticed  that  many  white  men  who  called  them 
selves  Christians  were  in  the  habit  of  stealing  from  the 
red  men,  and  cheating  them  whenever  they  could.  He 
could  not  see  that  the  Christian  religion  made  them 
more  happy,  more  honest,  or  better  than  he  was. 

Again,  he  noticed  that,  as  soon  as  the  Indians  were 
converted,  they  left  their  former  life  and  companions 
and  joined  themselves  to  the  English.  This  tended  to 
lessen  the  control  of  the  chiefs  over  their  tribes,  and  so 
reduced  their  power.  Thus  he  saw  that  a  great  deal 
might  be  lost  by  changing  his  religion,  or  by  urging  his 
followers  to  change  theirs. 

Nevertheless,  Massasoit  and  his  sons  remained  strong 
friends  to  the  Plymouth  people  until  1661,  when  Massa 
soit  died,  being  about  eighty  years  of  age. 


PHILIP   BECOMES  GRAND   SACHEM  37 

IX.     PHILIP   BECOMES   GRAND   SACHEM 

According  to  the  custom  of  the  Indians,  Wamsutta, 
the  eldest  son  of  Massasoit,  succeeded  his  father  as 
grand  sachem  of  the  Wampanoags. 

Almost  his  first  act  was  to  go  to  Plymouth,  where  he 
made  some  requests  of  the  settlers.  These  were  granted. 
Then  he  asked  for  an  English  name,  and  was  given  the 
name  of  Alexander. 

He  was  so  much  pleased  with  this  name  that  he  asked 
for  an  English  name  for  his  younger  brother,  Metacomet. 
The  English  gave  him  the  name  of  Philip,  by  which 
name  we  have  been  calling  him  in  our  account  of  his  life. 

A  few  days  later,  ten  armed  men  suddenly  appeared 
at  the  place  where  Wamsutta  and  several  of  his  followers 
were  holding  a  feast,  and  arrested  them  all.  Wamsutta 
was  taken  to  Plymouth  immediately,  and  charged  with 
plotting  with  the  Narragansetts  against  the  English. 

Being  seized  by  force  on  their  own  grounds,  and 
compelled  to  go  to  Plymouth  to  answer  charges  based 
on  rumor,  was  a  new  experience  for  the  Wampanoags. 
It  was  very  different  from  the  friendly  manner  in  which 
they  had  been  treated  formerly. 

The  English  treated  Wamsutta  very  well  at  Ply 
mouth.  They  could  prove  nothing  against  him,  and 
hence  they  soon  let  him  go.  On  his  way  home  he  died. 

As  Wamsutta  left  no  children,  he  was  succeeded  by 
his  brother  Philip.  There  was  no  ceremony  of  crowning, 
no  procession,  no  speeches.  In  fact,  there  was  no 


3y  THE   STORY  OF    KING   PHILIP 

crown  at  all;  nor  was  there  any  ceremony  of  any  kind. 
The  other  Indians  merely  obeyed  Philip  just  as  they 
had  formerly  obeyed  his  father  and  his  brother. 

Philip  and  all  the  members  of  the  Wampanoag  tribe 
believed  that  Wamsutta's  death  was  due  to  poison  which 
had  been  given  him  by  the  whites  when  he  was  at 
Plymouth.  According  to  the  belief  and  custom  of  the 
Indians,  it  was  Philip's  duty  to  take  vengeance  on  those 
who  had  caused  his  brother's  death. 

Still,  Philip  made  no  attempt  to  injure  the  whites  in 
any  way.  But  the  whites  became  suspicious,  probably 
because  they  felt  that  they  had  done  wrong;  and  very 
soon  they  summoned  Philip  to  Plymouth  to  answer  a 
charge  of  plotting  against  them. 

Philip  acted  very  honorably  in  the  matter.  Instead 
of  hiding  in  the  forest,  as  he  might  easily  have  done,  he 
went  to  Plymouth.  There  he  had  a  long  talk  with  the 
whites.  He  denied  that  he  had  plotted  against  them. 
He  showed  them  that  it  was  against  his  own  interests  to 
have  any  trouble  with  them,  and  as  proof  of  his  good 
intentions  toward  them,  he  offered  to  leave  his  next 
younger  brother  with  them  as  a  hostage. 

He  agreed  to  continue  the  treaty  that  his  father  had 
made  forty  years  before.  He  went  further,  and  acknowl 
edged  himself  to  be  a  faithful  subject  of  the  King  of 
England,  and  promised  not  to  make  war  on  any  Indian 
tribe  unless  the  English  first  gave  their  consent. 

For  several  years  Philip  was  grand  sachem  of  the 
Wampanoags  and  kept  this  treaty  with  great  faithfulness, 


PHILIP'S  TROUBLES  WITH   THE   WHITES  39 

During  this  time  his  duties  were  similar  to  those  which 
his  father  had  had,  and  his  life  was  uneventful.  He  was 
consulted  by  the  other  sachems  of  the  tribe,  and  his 
advice  was  generally  followed  by  them. 

Like  his  father,  the  good  Massasoit,  he  was  inclined 
to  be  conservative;  that  is,  he  did  not  like  to  change  the 
established  order  of  things.  He  was  very  much  liked  by 
the  Indians,  who  felt  that  he  tried  to  treat  them  all 
honestly  and  fairly. 

He  went  to  Plymouth  very  frequently,  to  visit  the 
whites  and  to  trade  with  them.  And,  likewise,  the 
whites  frequently  came  to  Mount  Hope  to  see  him. 

The  relations  between  the  whites  and  the  Indians 
were  such  that  it  was  perfectly  safe  for  a  white  man  to 
go  anywhere  among  the  Wampanoags  unarmed.  This 
is  something  that  cannot  be  said  of  any  other  Indian 
tribe  in  the  colonial  days.  The  Indians,  acting  under 
orders  from  King  Philip,  treated  the  whites  honestly  and 
fairly.  In  fact,  there  was  a  feeling  of  great  friendship 
between  the  whites  and  the  Indians. 


X.     PHILIP'S   TROUBLES  WITH   THE   WHITES 

Ten  years  passed  by  peacefully,  except  for  one  little 
trouble  which  occurred  in  '1667,  six  years  after  Philip 
became  sachern..  An  Indian  told  the  people  at  Plymouth 
that  Philip  had  said  that  he  wished  the  Dutch  would 
beat  the  English  in  the  war  which  was  then  being  carried 
on  between  Holland  and  England. 


4°  THE   STORY  OF    KING   PHILIP 

The  Plymouth  people  were  very  much  surprised  at 
this,  and  immediately  called  Philip  to  account.  But  he 
denied  ever  making  any  such  statement,  and  offered  to 
surrender  all  his  arms  to  the  English  in  order  to  show 
that  he  had  no  hostile  designs  against  them.  This  satis 
fied  the  English.  Everything  went  on  quietly  until 
1671,  when  troubles  between  the  two  races  finally  began 
to  arise. 

In  that  year  Philip  complained  that  the  English  were 
not  living  up  to  their  agreement  which  they  had  made 
with  him  ten  years  before.  At  the  request  of  the  people 
of  Plymouth,  Philip  went  to  Taunton,  a  village  near  his 
hunting-grounds,  and  talked  matters  over  with  them. 

He  was  accompanied  by  a  band  of  warriors  armed  to 
the  teeth  and  painted.  The  meeting  was  held  in  the 
little  village  church.  Philip  and  his  Indians  sat  on  one 
side  of  the  room  and  the  English  on  the  other. 

A  man  from  Boston,  who  was  thought  to  be  friendly 
to  both  parties,  was  chosen  to  preside  over  the  meeting. 
Then  the  Indians  and  the  settlers  made  speeches,  one 
after  the  other,  just  as  is  done  in  meetings  to-day. 

Philip  admitted  that  lately  he  had  begun  to  prepare 
for  war,  and  also  that  some  of  his  Indians  had  not  treated 
the  whites  justly.  But  he  also  showed  that  the  English 
were  arming  themselves,  and  that  many  of  them  had 
cheated  the  Indians  when  dealing  with  them. 

Philip  said  that  he  preferred  peace  to  war,  and  had 
only  armed  his  warriors  in  self-defense.  Finally,  it  was 
decided  to  make  a  new  treaty. 


PHILIP'S  TROUBLES  WITH    THE   WHITES  4l 

Here  is  a  copy  of  the  new  treaty  as  it  was  drawn  up. 
Notice  the  quaint  way  of  expressing  the  ideas,  and  also, 
that  many  words  are  not  spelled  as  we  spell  them  to-day. 
Notice,  too,  how  one-sided  the  treaty  is,  and  that  it  is 
signed  only  by  Philip  and  the  Indians. 

COPY   OF   THE   TREATY   MADE   AT  TAUNTON, 
APRIL   10,  1671. 

Whereas  my  Father,  my  Brother,  and  my  self  have  formerly 
submitted  our  selves  and  our  people  unto  the  Kings  Majesty 
of  England,  and  this  Colony  of  New-Plymouth,  by  solemn  Cove 
nant  under  our  Hand,  but  I  having  of  late  through  my  indiscre 
tion,  and  the  naughtiness  of  my  heart,  violated  and  broken  this  my 
Covenant  with  my  friends  by  taking  up  arms,  with  evill  intent  against 
them,  and  that  groundlessly;  I  being  now  deeply  sensible  of  my 
unfaithfulness  and  folly,  do  desire  at  this  time  solemnly  to  renew  my 
Covenant  with  my  ancient  Friends  and  my  Father's  friends  above 
mentioned;  and  doe  desire  this  may  testifie  to  the  world  against  mef 
if  ever  I  shall  again  fail  in  my  faithfulness  towards  them  (that  I  have 
now  and  at  all  times  found  so  kind  to  me)  or  any  other  of  the  English 
colonyes;  and  as  a  reall  Pledge  of  my  true  Intentions,  for  the  future 
to  be  faithful  and  friendly,  I  doe  freely  ingage  to  resign  up  unto  the 
Government  of  New-Plymouth,  all  my  English  Armes  to  be  kept  by 
them  for  their  security,  so  long  as  they  shall  see  reason.  For  true 
performance  of  the  Premises  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  together 
with  the  rest  of  my  council. 

In  the  presence  of          The  Mark  of  Philip, 

Chief  Sachem  of  Pokanoket 

William  Davis.  The  Mark  of  Tavoser. 

William  Hudson.  —  Capt.  Wisposke. 

Thomas  Brattle.  -  Woonkaponehunt. 

Nimrod. 

But  Philip  doubted  the  sincerity  of  the  English.  He 
hesitated  to  give  up  his  arms.  Then  the  settlers  ordered 
him  to  come  to  Plymouth  and  explain  why. 


42  THE   STORY   OF   KING   PHILIP 

Instead  of  obeying,  he  went  to  Boston  and  complained 
there  of  the  treatment  he  had  received.  He  said  that 
his  father,  his  brother,  and  himself  had  made  treaties  of 
friendship  with  the  English  which  the  latter  were  trying 
to  turn  into  treaties  of  subjection.  He  said  he  was  a 
subject  of  the  King  of  England,  but  not  of  the  colony  of 
Plymouth,  and  he  saw  no  reason  why  the  people  of 
Plymouth  should  try  to  treat  him  as  a  subject. 

The  people  of  Massachusetts  again  made  peace 
between  Philip  and  the  settlers  at  Plymouth.  But  it 
could  not  long  continue,  for  each  side  had  now  become 
thoroughly  suspicious  of  the  other. 

In  1674,  an  Indian  reported  to  the  settlers  that  Philip 
was  trying  to  get  the  sachems  of  New  England  to  wage 
war  on  the  whites.  A  few  days  later,  that  Indian's  dead 
body  was  found  in  a  lake.  The  English  arrested  three 
Indians  and  tried  them  for  the  murder.  They  were  found 
guilty  and  were  executed,  although  the  evidence  against 
them  was  of  such  a  character  that  it  would  not  have  been 
admitted  in  a  court  of  justice  against  a  white  man. 


XI.     PHILIP  AND   THE    INDIAN   COUNCILS 

Philip  thought  the  matter  over.  He  felt  that  the 
English  had  done  the  Indians  great  injustice. 

In  the  first  place,  the  land  had  originally  belonged 
to  the  Indians.  It  was  not  of  great  value  to  them,  for 
they  used  it  mainly  for  hunting  purposes.  So  they  had 
very  willingly  parted  with  a  few  acres  to  the  English  in 


PHILIP  AND   THE    INDIAN   COUNCILS  43 

return  for  some  trinkets  of  very  little  value — such  as  a 
jack-knife,  or  a  few  glass  beads,  or  little  bells,  or  a 
blanket. 

Then  the  English  had  forbidden  the  Indian  to  sell  his 
land  to  any  white  man.  He  was  allowed  to  sell  only  to 
the  colonial  government.  This  was  done  in  order  to 
protect  him  from  white  men  who  wanted  to  cheat  him ; 
but  Philip  only  saw  that  it  prevented  his  giving  away 
something  of  little  value  to  himself,  and  getting  some 
thing  he  wanted  in  return. 

Before  the  English  came,  the  woods  were  full  of  game 
and  the  streams  were  full  of  fish.  Now  Philip  noticed 
that  the  game  was  going  from  the  woods  and  the  fish 
from  the  rivers.  He  felt  that  the  Indians  were  becoming 
poorer  and  the  English  were  getting  richer. 

Only  the  poorer  lands  were  owned  by  the  Indians 
now.  All  the  best  were  in  the  hands  of  the  white  men. 

Philip  was  also  tired  of  the  airs  of  superiority  assumed 
by  the  whites.  They  looked  upon  the  Indians  as  fit  only 
for  servants  and  slaves.  He  thought  that  his  people 
were  as  good  as  the  whites.  He  felt  that  the  bonds  of 
love  and  sympathy  between  the  two  races  had  been 
broken. 

In  spite  of  his  many  complaints  and  requests,  the 
English  had  failed  to  punish  unprincipled  white  men 
who  had  done  wrong  to  the  Indians. 

Finally,  those  Indians  who  had  been  converted  to 
Christianity  had  left  their  old  tribes  and  their  former 
modes  of  life.  This  had  weakened  the  power  of  the 


44  THE   STORY   OF   KING   PHILIP 

Indians,  and  Philip  began  to  think  that  the  English  were 
Christianizing  the  Indians  simply  for  the  purpose  of  get 
ting  control  of  their  lands. 

Philip  felt  that  the  question  was  too  deep  a  one  for 
him  to  solve.  He  called  the  sachems  of  the  Wampa- 
noags  together,  and  talked  the  matter  over  with  them. 
Several  meetings  were  held,  and  every  member  expressed 
himself  on  the  subject  very  freely. 

The  question  then  arose,  what  should  they  do?  It 
very  soon  became  evident  that  two  opposite  opinions 
were  held. 

It  was  not  the  custom  of  the  Indians  to  vote  on  any 
questions  that  were  discussed  at  their  meetings.  They 
talked  the  matter  over  and  then  adopted  the  plan  that 
most  of  them  thought  was  best.  But  at  this  time  they 
were  unable  to  decide  what  to  do  in  order  to  get  back 
that  which  they  had  lost,  and  how  to  prevent  losing  any 
more.  And  so  they  kept  on  talking  over  plans. 

Fifty-five  years  of  peace  and  friendship  with  the 
English  had  resulted  in  giving  the  white  men  all  the  land 
of  any  value,  while  the  Wampanoags  were  decreasing  in 
numbers  and  each  year  were  finding  it  more  and  more 
difficult  to  live. 

The  young  warriors  urged  immediate  action.  They 
wanted  war,  and  wanted  it  then,  and  desired  to  keep  it 
up  until  the  English  should  be  driven  out  of  the  country. 

Philip  was  opposed  to  this.  He  knew  how  strong 
the  English  were,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible  to 
drive  them  out.  He  saw  that  the  time  had  gone  by 


KING   PHILIP'S  WAR  45 

when  the  English  could  be  expelled  from  the  country. 
He  threw  his  influence  with  the  older  warriors,  and  for  a 
while  succeeded  in  holding  the  younger  men  in  check. 
He  felt  that  the  Indians  could  never  be  successful  in  a 
war  with  the  English  when  the  tribe  owned  only  thirty 
guns  and  had  no  provisions  laid  aside  to  carry  them 
through  the  war. 


XII.     KING   PHILIP'S  WAR 

Philip  did  his  best  to  keep  at  peace  with  the  English. 
For  a  while  he  succeeded.  But  his  young  warriors 
began  to  steal  hogs  and  cattle  belonging  to  the  settlers, 
and  on  one  pleasant  Sunday  in  June,  1675,  when  the 
people  were  at  church,  eight  young  Indians  burned  a 
few  houses  in  the  village  of  Swansea,  the  nearest  town 
to  the  Wampanoag  headquarters  at  Mount  Hope.  The 
whites  immediately  raised  a  few  troops,  marched  after 
the  Indians,  and  had  a  little  skirmish  with  them. 

Philip  was  not  with  his  warriors  at  the  time.  The 
attack  on  the  whites  had  been  made  against  his  express 
orders.  When  he  heard  that  the  Indians  and  settlers 
had  really  had  a  battle,  he  wept  from  sorrow,  something 
which  an  Indian  rarely  does. 

Everything  seemed  to  go  wrong.  He  tried  to  make 
peace  with  the  whites,  but  they  would  not  listen  to  him. 
The  young  warriors  no  longer  paid  any  attention  to  what 
he  said.  They  went  on  destroying  property  and  killing 
cattle. 


46  THE   STORY   OF   KING   PHILIP 

After  leaving  Swansea,  they  went  to  Taunton  and 
Middleboro,  where  they  burned  several  houses  and  killed 
a  few  persons.  But  troops  soon  arrived  from  Boston 
and  Plymouth,  and  in  a  few  days  the  Indians  were  driven 
back  to  their  homes  at  Mount  Hope. 

The  English  hurried  on  after  them,  and  the  war  that 
followed  is  known  in  history  as  King  Philip's  War. 

Philip  and  the  Indians  swam  across  Narragansett  Bay 
and  went  to  some  of  their  friends  in  the  Connecticut 
Valley.  There  they  obtained  the  help  of  the  Nipmucks, 
who  had  never  been  very  friendly  towards  the  English. 

We  do  not  know  where  Philip  was  during  the  war. 
He  knew  that  he  would  be  held  responsible  for  it, 
although  he  had  done  everything  in  his  power  to  pre 
vent  it.  For  a  year  the  war  was  carried  on,  one  hundred 
miles  away  from  his  home,  and  never  once  was  he  known 
to  have  been  connected  with  any  fighting,  nor  was  he 
even  seen  by  the  English  during  that  time.  Some  of 
them  thought  that  he  was  directing  the  war,  but  really 
it  was  carried  on  by  other  tribes  of  Indians  that  had  not 
been  very  friendly  towards  the  whites.  The  Wampa- 
noags  seem  to  have  had  very  little  connection  with  the 
war. 

The  Indians  attacked  the  English  towns  in  the  Con 
necticut  Valley,  and  the  more  exposed  places  on  the 
frontier  of  the  colony  where  the  people  were  few  and 
scattered. 

No  battle  was  fought  in  the  open  field.  The  Indians 
did  not  fight  in  that  way.  They  secretly  surrounded  a 


KING   PHILIP'S  WAR  47 

town,  rushed  in  from  all  sides,  killed  as  many  people  as 
possible,  took  what  property  they  could  carry  away,  and 
burned  all  that  remained. 

They  knew  all  the  paths  in  the  forests,  swamps,  and 
thickets.  They  were  fast  runners,  and  went  rapidly  from 
town  to  town. 

Their  favorite  method  of  fighting  was  in  an  ambus 
cade.  That  was  something 
peculiar  to  the  Indians.  The 
English  had  never  heard  of  that 
way  of  fighting  before  they 
came  to  America.  The  Indians 
would  lie  down  flat  on  the 
ground  or  stand  behind  trees 
or  in  a  bush  or  thicket.  When 

.  .,.  HOUSE  PROTECTED  BY  PALISADES 

the  enemy  came  along  with   no 

suspicion  that  any  one  was   near,  the   Indians  suddenly 

gave    a   yell    and   fired   their  arrows  or  guns  at   them. 

This  would  startle  them  and  generally  cause  them  to  run 

away. 

The  war  was  one  of  the  most  dreadful  in  the  history 
of  our  country.  A  farmer  left  his  home  in  the  morning 
not  knowing  whether  he  would  ever  see  his  wife  and  chil 
dren  again.  His  gun  was  always  in  his  hand.  Laborers 
were  cut  off  in  the  field.  Reapers,  millers,  women  at 
home,  and  people  on  their  way  to  and  from  church  were 
killed. 

Nearly  every  town  in  the  Connecticut  Valley  was 
destroyed  by  the  Indians,  and  the  people  suffered  ter- 


4^  THE   STORY   OF   KING   PHILIP 

ribly.  The  Indians  were  very  successful  during  the  first 
year  of  the  war.  They  lost  but  few  warriors  and  did  an 
immense  amount  of  injury  to  the  whites.  This  caused 
the  young  warriors  to  believe  that  Philip  and  the  old 
warriors  were  wrong,  and  that  it  was  really  possible  for 
them  to  drive  the  English  from  the  country. 


XIII.     THE   LAST   DAYS   OF    PHILIP 

During  the  winter  there  was  very  little  fighting.  In 
the  spring  the  Indians  did  not  fight  with  any  spirit. 
They  had  begun  to  get  tired  of  the  war.  Many  wished 
for  peace.  The  Narragansetts  who  had  been  helping  in 
the  war  had  suffered  a  terrible  defeat  from  the  English. 

The  English  began  to  understand  better  the  Indian 
method  of  fighting.  They  attacked  the  Indians  wher 
ever  they  could  find  them.  They  surprised  several  large 
forces  of  Indians  in  different  places.  Then  it  began  to 
look  as  if  Philip  and  the  old  warriors  were  right  and  the 
young  warriors  were  wrong. 

Several  sachems  had  been  killed.  The  Indians  had 
no  stores  of  corn.  The  English  tore  up  every  field  that 
the  Indians  planted.  Finally,  the  Indians  gave  up  hope. 
They  were  being  starved  out.  During  the  summer  of 
1676,  large  numbers  of  them  surrendered  to  the  whites. 

Philip  was  not  seen  from  the  time  he  swam  across 
Narragansett  Bay  until  in  July,  1676,  when  he  returned 
to  his  old  home  at  Mount  Hope.  His  wife  and  son  had 


THE   LAST   DAYS   OF   PHILIP  49 

been  captured  earlier  in  the  spring,  and  he  knew  that  the 
cause  of  the  Indians  was  lost. 

He  wanted  to  see  his  old  home  once  more,  the  place 
where  he  had  lived  for  sixty  years,  but  which  he  felt  he 
was  now  going  to  lose  forever.  We  can  see  him  as  he 
returned  to  his  home,  now  desolated  by  war,  his  wig 
wam  destroyed,  his  cornfield  trodden  down,  his  family 
taken  from  him,  his  friends  taken  captive  in  the  war. 
He  felt  that  the  war  was  wrong,  that  his  young  warriors 
had  been  too  hasty  in  starting  it  without  making  proper 
preparations  for  it.  He  looked  into  the  future.  It 
seemed  very  dark  to  him. 

The  war  indeed  was  nearly  over.  The  Wampanoags 
were  talking  about  surrendering.  Philip  knew  that  sur 
render  meant  death  for  him.  He  refused  even  to  think 
of  it.  When  one  of  his  warriors  suggested  it  to  him  he 
killed  him  on  the  spot. 

The  English  soon  learned  that  Philip  had  returned  to 
his  old  home.  They  surrounded  him.  On  the  twelfth 
day  of  August,  1676,  he  was  shot  in  an  ambuscade  by 
the  brother  of  the  Indian  he  had  killed  for  suggesting 
that  he  surrender. 

And  now,  see  how  barbarous  the  English  settlers 
could  be.  They  cut  off  his  hands  and  quartered  his 
body,  leaving  it  to  decay  on  four  trees.  They  carried 
his  head  to  Plymouth,  and  placed  it  on  the  end  of  a  pole. 
Then  they  appointed  a  public  day  of  thanksgiving. 

Philip's  wife  and  children  were  taken  to  the  Bermudas 
and  sold  as  slaves,  in  common  with  the  other  Indians 

FOUR   IND.— 4 


50  THE    STORY   OF   KING  PHILIP 

captured   in    the  war.      Thus   the   Wampanoag  tribe   of 
Indians  came  to  an  end. 

Philip  was  unjustly  blamed  by  the  Plymouth  people 
for  starting  the  war.  They  thought  that  he  was  in 
league  with  several  other  tribes  in  New  England  and 
New  York,  and  that  he  intended  to  drive  out  the  Eng 
lish  if  he  could.  That  was  why  they  fought  so  desper 
ately,  and  at  the  end  of  the  war  removed  the  remnants 
of  the  tribe  from  New  England.  It  is  true  that  the 
Indians  would  have  been  obliged  to  move  in  time. 
Philip  undoubtedly  saw  that,  but  he  believed  that  peace 
was  best  and  he  urged  it  on  his  followers.  The  English 
did  not  know  this,  and  the  result  was  that  Philip  was 
held  responsible  for  a  war  which  he  had  opposed  from 
the  outset. 


THE   STORY    OF 

PONTIAC 


BY 

FRANCES  M.   PERRY 


THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 


I.  THE  MEETING  OF  PONTIAC   AND   THE   ENGLISH 

Though  the  French  were  still  fighting  stubbornly  at 
sea,  the  French  war  was  over  in  America.  Canada  had 
been  surrendered  to  the  British,  and  England's  banners 
waved  over  Quebec.  Yet  the  tidings  of  defeat  had  not 
reached  the  French  garrisons  on  the  Great  Lakes. 

In  the  fall  of  1760  Major  Robert  Rogers,  with  two 
hundred  British  rangers,  set  out  in  fifteen  whale  boats, 
to  carry  to  the  interior  the  news  of  the  surrender  and 
to  take  possession  of  the  French  forts  on  the  lakes. 

This  was  a  somewhat  dangerous  task.  For,  although 
no  resistance  was  to  be  feared  from  the  French,  the  sav 
ages  who  wrere  in  league  with  them  could  not  be  counted 
on  to  understand  or  believe  the  changed  state  of  affairs. 
Indeed,  it  was  doubtful  if  they  would  even  allow  the 
British  a  hearing  before  attacking  them. 

Rogers  and  his  men,  however,  coasted  along  the 
shores  of  Lake  Erie  without  adventure  until  early  in 
November.  Then  the  weather  became  so  stormy  and  the 
lake  so  rough  that  the  commander  decided  to  go  ashore 
and  camp  in  the  forest  until  the  tempest  had  passed. 

The  rangers  were  glad  to  feel  the  solid  earth  under 
their  feet  and  to  find  shelter  from  the  driving  wind  and 

53 


54 


THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 


rain.     Nevertheless,  they  soon  realized  that  the  forest  was 
not  without  its  dangers. 

They  had  not  been  long  ashore  when  a  large  band  of 
Indians  entered  the  camp.  These  Indians  said  that  Pon- 
tiac,  chief  of  the  Ottawas,  had  sent  them  before  him 
to  demand  of  the  Englishmen  how  they  dared  to  come 
into  his  country  without  his  permission. 

Before    night 
fall     the     famous 
warrior       himself 
stood  in  the  pres 
ence  of  the  Eng 
lish       commander 
and  his  officers 
and  spoke  in  this 
fashion :     "Eng 
lishmen,  I  am 
Pontiac,     greatest 
councilor  and  war 
rior  of  the  Otta 
was.      This    land 
belongs      to      my 
people.      You  are 
the  enemies  of  my 
people.      You  are 
the  enemies  of  our 
brothers,  the  French.     Why  do  you  bring  armed  warriors 
into  my  country  without  asking  my  consent  ?     You  can 
not  go  farther  until  Pontiac  leaves  your  path." 


PONTIAC   AND    ROGERS 


MEETING  OF  PONTIAC  AND  THE  ENGLISH 


55 


To  this  haughty  speech  Rogers  answered :  "  Broth 
er,  we  come  to  tell  you  that  the  war  is  over.  Our  mighty 
English  warriors  have  made  your  French  brothers  shake 
with  fear.  We  have  slain  their  war  chiefs;  we  have 
taken  their  strong  villages.  They  have  begged  us  for 
mercy.  They  have  promised  to  be  the  dutiful  and  obedi 
ent  children  of  the  English  king  if  we  will  lay  down  the 
hatchet  and  fight  against  them  no  more.  They  have 
given  us  their  guns,  their  forts,  and  all  the  land  of  Can 
ada.  I  have  come  into  your  country  to  take  Detroit.  I 
shall  not  fight  with  your  brothers,  the  French;  I  shall 
not  shoot  them.  I  shall  show  their  commander  a  paper 
and  he  will  pull  down  his  flag  and  he  and  his  men  will 
come  out  of  the  fort  and  give  me  their  guns.  Then  I 
shall  go  in  with  my  men  and  put  up  my  flag. 

"The  English  king  is  terrible  in  war.  He  could  pun 
ish  the  Indians  and  make  them  cry  for  mercy,  as  he  has 
the  French.  But  he  is  kind  and  offers  to  his  red  children 
the  chain  of  friendship.  If  you  accept  it  he  is  ready  to 
shut  his  eyes  to  the  mischief  the  French  have  put  you  up 
to  in  the  past,  and  to  protect  you  with  his  strong  arm." 

Pontiac  listened  gravely  -  to  every  word  the  white 
man  spoke.  But  his  dark  face  gave  no  token  of  what 
was  passing  in  his  mind.  Now,  Indians  despise  rash 
ness,  and  it  is  their  custom  to  deliberate  over  night  before 
answering  any  important  question.  So,  with  the  dignity 
of  one  who  knows  no  fear  and  craves  no  favor,  the 
greatest  councilor  of  the  Ottawas  replied  simply :  "Eng 
lishmen,  I  shall  stand  in  your  path  till  morning.  In  the 


56  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

meantime  if  your  warriors  are  cold  or  hungry  the  hands 
of  my  people  are  open  to  you."  Then  he  and  his  chiefs 
withdrew,  and  slipped  silently  back  through  .the  dripping 
forest  to  their  camp. 

The  English  rangers  slept  with  their  guns  at  hand 
fj  that  night.  They  knew  the  pride  and  might 
and  treachery  of  Pontiac,  and  they  feared  him. 
They  felt  as  if  they  were  in  a  trap,  with  the 
raging  sea  before  them  and  the  forest  alive 
with  pitiless  savages  behind. 

But  they  need  have  had  no  fear,  for  the 
great  chief  thought  not  of  massacre  that  night. 
He  thought  of  the  English  who  stood  ready 
to  avenge  any  harm  done  to  their  brothers ;  of 
his  own  race  dependent  on  the  white  men  for 
rum,  for  wampum,  for  guns  and  powder  and 
bullets.  Clearly  the  Indians  must  have  friends 
among  the  palefaces.  The  French  were  their 
"brothers."  They  had  given  them  presents, 
had  married  their  maidens,  had  traded,  hunted, 
and  gone  to  battle  with  them.  The  English 
were  their  foes.  But  they  were  many  and  strong.  They 
had  beaten  the  French  and  taken  their  guns.  The  red 
men  must  let  their  hatred  sleep  for  awhile.  They  would 
smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  with  the  English,  and  the  Eng 
lish  would  give  them  presents :  tobacco  and  rum,  guns 
and  powder. 

Having    reached    this    conclusion,    Pontiac    and    his 

o 

chiefs  returned  to  Rogers's  camp  on  the  following  morn- 


MEETING  OF  PONTIAC  AND  THE  ENGLISH 


57 


ing.  There  they  smoked  the  calumet  with  the  English  and 
exchanged  presents  and  promises  of  kindness  and  friend 
ship.  The  men  who  had  met  as  enemies  parted  as  friends. 

Years   later,   when    British    armies    were    marching 
against  Indians  whose  tomahawks  were  red 
with  English  blood,   Pontiac's  faith  in  the 
friendship   of    Rogers   remained    unshaken. 
The  latter  sent  to  the  chief  a  bottle  of  rum. 
When  advised  not  to  drink  it  lest  it  should 
contain  poison,  Pontiac  replied :  "  I  did  not 
save  from  death  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie 
a  man  who  would  to-day  poison  me," 
and  he  drained  the  bottle  without  hesi 
tation. 

Though  a  single  Indian  and  a 
single  Englishman  could  thus  over 
come  their  distrust  for  each  other,  the 
feelings  of  the  two  races  could 
not  be  so  easily  altered.  The 
Indians  looked  upon  the  Eng 
lish  as  cruel  robbers,  whose 
object  was  to  drive  them  from  their  homes  and  possess 
their  lands.  They  thought  of  them  as  enemies  too  power 
ful  to  be  withstood  by  open  force  and  therefore  to  be  met 
only  with  cunning  and  deception.  Many  of  the  English 
looked  upon  the  savages  as  ignorant,  filthy,  and  treach 
erous  beings,  little  better  than  wild  beasts,  and  thought 
that  the  world  would  be  better  off  without  them.  Yet 
for  the  present  both  were  glad  to  be  at  peace. 


CALUMET 


cjg  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

The  Indians  found  that  Major  Rogers  had  spoken 
truly  about  Detroit.  When  they  saw  the  large  French 
garrison  yield  without  resistance  they  were  filled  with 
wonder,  and  said  to  one  another:  "These  English  are 
a  terrible  people.  It  is  well  we  have  made  friends  with 
them." 

By  "making  friends"  with  the  English,  the  Indians 
had  no  notion  of  accepting  them  as  masters.  The  French 
had  seemed  pleasant  neighbors  and  valuable  friends. 
When  they  occupied  the  fort  the  Indians  had  always 
found  a  warm  welcome  there.  Their  chiefs  had  been 
treated  with  great  pomp  and  ceremony.  They  had  re 
ceived  rich  presents  and  great  promises.  They  expected 
the  English  to  show  them  the  same  consideration.  But 
they  \vere  disappointed.  The  new  masters  of  the  fort 
had  little  patience  writh  the  Indian  idlers,  who  loafed 
about  at  the  most  inconvenient  times  in  the  most  incon 
venient  places,  always  begging,  and  often  sullen  and  inso 
lent.  They  frequently  ordered  them  in  no  mild  terms  to 
be  off.  The  chiefs  received  cold  looks  and  short  answers 
where  they  had  looked  for  flattery  and  presents. 

The  Indians  resented  the  conduct  of  the  English  bit 
terly,  and  when  Pontiac  learned  that  they  claimed  the 
lands  of  his  tribe,  he  said  within  himself:  "The  hatred 
of  the  Ottawas  has  slept  long  enough.  It  is  time  for  it 
to  wake  and  destroy  these  British  who  treat  the  red  man 
as  if  he  had  no  right  to  the  land  where  he  was  born." 


PONTIACS  CHILDHOOD 


59 


II.  PONTIACS  CHILDHOOD 

We  love  our  country  principally  because  of  the  polit 
ical  freedom  its  government  allows  us.  As  we  study  its 
history,  the  lives  of  its  heroes, 
and  the  struggles  they  have 
made  for  the  liberties  we  en 
joy,  our  patriotism  grows 
stronger. 

Pontiac  loved  his  country, 
too,  but  in  a  much  simpler  and 
more  personal  way,  as  you  will 
understand  when  you  have 
learned  about  the  proud  chief 
tain's  boyhood  and  youth. 

The  birds  scarcely  know  the 
forest  so  well  as  he  did.  When 

•LI  e   2.      SQUAW 

he  was  a  tiny  baby, — a  fat, 
brown,  little  pappoose, — his  mother  used  to  bundle  him 
up  in  skins,  strap  him  to  a  board,  and  carry  him  on  her 
back  when  she  went  to  gather  the  bark  of  the  young  bass- 
wood  tree  for  twine.  As  the  strong  young  squaw  sped 
along  the  narrow  path,  soft  and  springing  to  her  mocca- 
sined  feet  with  its  depth  of  dried  pine  needles,  the  baby 
on  her  back  was  well  content.  Even  if  he  felt  cross 
and  fretful  the  regular  motion  pleased  him ;  the  cool  dim 
green  of  the  forest  rested  him;  the  sweet  smell  of  the 
pines  soothed  him;  and  the  gentle  murmur  of  the  wind 
in  the  tree  tops  soon  lulled  him  to  sleep. 


WITH    PAPPOOSE 


6o 


THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 


When  the  mother  clambered  over  a  large  tree  trunk 
that  had  fallen  across  the  path  and  the  little  pappoose 
was  jolted  wide  awake,  he  did  not  cry.  His  beady  black 
eyes  followed  every  stray  sunbeam  and  every  bounding 
rabbit,  or  chance  bird  with  wonder  and  delight.  When 
his  mother  went  to  work  she  placed  his  rude  cradle  be 
side  a  tree  where  he  could  look  on,  out  of  harm's  way. 


INDIAN  SQUAW  AT  WORK 

He  was  very  little  trouble,  and  she  always  took  him  with 
her  when  she  went  to  get  cedar  bark,  to  gather  rushes  for 
mats  and  herbs  for  dyes,  to  pick  up  fagots  for  the  fire, 
or  to  get  sap  from  the  sugar  tree.  So  it  happened  that 
when  he  grew  up  Pontiac  could  not  remember  a  time 
when  the  dark  forest  did  not  seem  like  home  to  him. 

A's  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to  understand  words, 
he  heard  his  mother  laughing  with  her  neighbors  about 


PONTIACS  CHILDHOOD  6l 

the  men  in  the  village  who  stayed  about  their  wigwams 
like  women.  Now,  he  thought  that  a  wigwam  or  bark 
lodge  was  a  very  pleasant  place.  The  small,  dark,  oven- 
shaped  room,  smoky  and  foul  with  the  smell  of  fish  and 
dirt,  was  home  to  him — the  mud  floor,  worn  smooth  and 
hard  with  use,  was  strewn  with  mats  and  skins  which 
served  for  chairs  and  beds.  There  was  a  fireplace  in  the 
center,  and  over  it  a  rack  on  which  smoked  fish  hung, 
well  out  of  the  reach  of  the  wolf-like  dogs  that  lay  about 
gnawing  at  old  bones.  It  was  usually  dry  in  wet  weather, 
warm  in  cold  weather,  and  cool  when  the  sun  was  hot.  It 
was  where  he  went  for  food  when  he  was  hungry ;  it  was 
where  he  slept  on  soft  buffalo  robes  and  bear  skins  when 
he  was  tired;  it  was  where  he  heard  good  stories,  and, 
best  of  all,  it  was  where  his  mother  spent  most  of  her  time. 

But  before  Pontiac  was  many  years  old  he  knew  that 
the  wigwam  was  the  place  for  women  and  children,  and 
that  it  was  a  shame  for  a  man  not  to  follow  the  deer 
through  the  forest,  and  go  upon  the  warpath.  He  saw 
that  if  a  man  stayed  at  home  and  loved  ease  and  comfort 
his  squaw  would  scold  him  with  a  shrill  tongue.  But  if 
he  went  off  to  hunt,  it  was  different.  Then,  when  he 
came  home  for  a  short  time,  he  might  lounge  on  a  bear 
skin  while  his  squaw  worked  hard  to  make  him  happy, 
cooking  his  meals,  fetching  clear  water  from  the  spring, 
and  dressing  the  skins  he  had  brought  from  the  hunt. 

Pontiac  liked  to  watch  his  mother  while  she  stood 
weaving  the  wet  rushes  into  mats  to  cover  the  lodge  in 
summer,  or  while  she  sat  on  the  floor  with  her  feet  crossed 


62  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

under  her,  making  baskets  out  of  sweet  grass  or  em 
broidering  with  brightly  dyed  porcupine  quills.  But  if  he 
showed  his  pleasure  or  offered  to  help  her,  she  looked  stern 
and  shook  her  head,  saying,  "Go  out  into  the  field  and  run ; 
then  you  will  be  swift  when  you  are  a  man ;"  or  "go  into 
the  forest  and  shoot  rabbits  with  your  little  bow  and  arrow, 
so  that  you  may  one  day  be  a  great  hunter  like  your  father." 

All  this  made  little  Pontiac  feel  that  the  great  fields 
and  forests  were  his — his  to  find  his  pleasure  in  while 
he  was  a  boy ;  his  to  find  his  work  in  when  he  should  be 
come  a  man. 

He  learned,  too,  that  his  very  life  depended  on  the 
forests  he  loved.  He  could  never  forget  the  cruel  winter 
days  when  he  had  asked  his  mother  again  and  again  for 
fish  and  meat,  and  she  had  told  him  to  be  still  and  wait 
till  his  father  brought  meat  from,  the  forest.  And  he  had 
waited  there  long  with  his  hollow-eyed  mother,  crouching 
before  the  feeble  fire,  starving  with  hunger.  He  had 
strained  his  ears  toward  the  great  white  forest  only  to 
hear  the  wail  of  the  winds  and  the  howl  of  the  wolves. 
But  at  last  the  yelp  of  the  dogs  was  sure  to  be  heard, 
and  then  the  half-frozen  hunters  would  appear,  dragging 
the  deer  over  the  crusted  snow. 


III.  PONTIACS  EDUCATION 

Pontiac's   father  was  a  war  chief.     But  it  did  not 
follow  that  therefore  Pontiac  would  be  a  war  chief.     He 


PONTIAC'S  EDUCATION 


would  have  to  prove  himself  strong  and  brave,  a  good 
hunter  and  a  good  warrior,  or  his  tribe  would  choose 
some  more  able  leader. 

Pontiac,  like  most  small 
boys,  took  his  father  for  his 
pattern.  His  ambition  was  to 
be  like  him.  But  he  was  told 
early,  "Be  a  good  Indian.  Be 
a  good  Ottawan.  Be  true  to 
your  tribe.  Be  a  strong  man 
and  help  your  people.  But 
don't  think  about  being  chief. 
The  greatest  brave  must  be 
chief  of  the  Ottawas." 

Yet,  Indians  love  glory  and 
perhaps  in  the  bottom  of  their 
hearts  Pontiac's  father  and 
mother  hoped  that  he  would 
one  day  be  a  chieftain.  At  any 
rate  they  did  all  they  could  to  train  him  to  be  a  worthy 
Indian. 

They  were  sometimes  very  severe  with  him.  If  he 
was  rude  to  strangers  or  to  old  people;  if  he  lost  his 
temper  and  threw  ashes  at  his  comrades ;  if  he  told  a  false 
hood,  he  was  beaten.  He  had  broken  the  laws  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  and  the  Great  Spirit  had  commanded  that 
parents  should  beat  their  children  with  rods  when  they 
did  wrong.  The  boy  understood  this  and  he  tried  to 
take  his  punishment  bravely  that  he  might  regain  the 


INDIAN  WARRIOR 


54  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

good  will  of  the  Great  Spirit.  He  stood  quite  still  and 
endured  heavy  blows  without  whimpering  or  flinching. 

He  learned,  too,  to  endure  hunger  and  great  fatigue 
without  complaint.  He  raced,  and  swam,  and  played  ball, 
and  wrestled  with  other  boys  till  his  body  \vas  strong  and 
straight  and  supple.  He  played  at  hunting  and  war  in 
the  forest,  until  his  eyes  became  so  sharp  that  no  sign  of 
man  or  beast  escaped  them. 

But  he  did  not  depend  altogether  on  his  eyes  for  in 
formation.  He  could  find  his  way  through  a  forest  in 
the  dark,  where  the  dense  foliage  hid  the  stars.  Perhaps 
the  wind  told  him  the  direction  by  the  odors  it  brought. 
He  could  tell  what  kind  of  trees  grew  about  him  by  the 
feel  of  their  bark,  by  their  odor,  by  the  sound  of  the  wind 
in  the  branches.  He  did  not  have  to  think  much  about 
his  course  when  on  a  journey.  His  feet  seemed  to  know 
the  way  home,  or  to  the  spring,  or  to  the  enemy's  camp. 
And  if  he  had  traveled  through  a  wilderness  once  he 
knew  the  way  the  next  time  as  well  as  any  boy  knows 
his  way  to  school. 

While  Pontiac  was  training  his  body,  his  parents  took 
care  that  he  should  not  grow  up  in  ignorance  of  the 
religion  and  the  history  of  his  people.  He  heard  much 
about  the  Great  Spirit  who  could  see  all  he  did  and 
was  angry  when  he  said  or  did  anything  dishonest  or 
cowardly. 

The  laws  of  the  Great  Spirit  were  fixed  in  the  boy's 
mind,  for  his  mother  was  always  repeating  them  to  him. 
She  would  say  as  he  left  the  wigwam :  "Honor  the  gray- 


PONTIACS  EDUCATION  6^ 

D 

headed  person,"  or  "Thou  shalt  not  mimic  the  thunder;" 
'Thou  shalt  always  feed  the  hungry  and  the  stranger," 
or  "Thou  shalt  immerse  thyself  in  the  river  at  least  ten 
times  in  succession  in  the  early  part  of  the  spring,  so  that 
thy  body  may  be  strong  and  thy  feet  swift  to  chase  the 
game  and  to  follow  the  warpath."1 

In  the  evenings  the  older  members  of  the  family  and 
some  visiting  Indians  sat  around  the  fire  and  told  stories 
about  the  Great  Spirit  and  many  other  strange  beings, 
some  good  and  some  evil.  They  told,  too,  wonderful  tales 
about  omens  and  charms.  The  same  story  was  told  over 
and  over  again,  so  that  in  time  little  Pontiac  .knew  by 
heart  the  legends  of  the  Ottawas.  He  remembered  and 
firmly  believed  all  his  life  stories  that  as  a  child  he  lis 
tened  to  with  awe,  in  his  father's  wigwam. 

In  the  same  way  he  heard  about  the  great  deeds  of  the 
warriors  of  his  tribe ;  and  he  came  to  think  there  were  no 
people  in  the  world  quite  equal  to  the  Ottawas.  He 
heard  of  other  tribes  that  were  their  foes  and  he  was  eager 
to  go  to  war  against  them. 

As  he  grew  older  he  heard  a  good  deal  about  men, 
not  only  of  another  tribe  but  of  another  race,  the  palefaces, 
who  were  trying  to  get  the  lands  of  the  Indians.  Then 
he  thought  less  about  being  an  Ottawa  and  conquering 
other  Indians ;  while  every  day  he  felt  more  and  more  that 
he  was  an  Indian  and  must  conquer  the  white  man.  He 
wished  he  could  unite  the  tribes  in  friendship  and  lead 
them  against  these  strangers  who  were  so  many  and  so 

1  Translated   from   the   Ottawa  language  by  A.   Blackbird. 
FOUR  IND. — 5 


66  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

strong,  and  who  had  come  to  drive  the  Indians  from  their 
homes  and  hunting  grounds. 

Such  thoughts  made  Pontiac  very  serious.  Obeying 
the  commands  of  the  Great  Spirit,  the  young  Indian  often 
blackened  his  face  with  a  mixture  of  charcoal  and  fish-oil, 
and  went  into  the  depths  of  the  forest,  where  he  remained 
for  days  without  food,  praying  and  thinking  earnestly 
about  the  future. 

He  formed  his  own  plans,  but  he  hid  them  in  his 
heart.  He  practised  keeping  his  feelings  and  thoughts 
to  himself,  and  spoke  only  when  he  was  very  sure  he  was 
right.  This  habit  soon  gained  him  a  reputation  for  grav 
ity  and  wisdom. 


IV.  THE  CHIEF 

When  he  was  old  enough  to  go  to  battle  with  the 
tried  warriors,  Pontiac  took  many  scalps  and  distinguished 
himself  for  courage.  He  was,  therefore,  amid  great  feast 
ing  and  rejoicing,  made  a  war  chief  of  the  Ottawas. 

His  influence  increased  rapidly.  The  young  men  of 
his  tribe  felt  sure  of  success  when  they  followed  Pontiac 
to  battle.  His  very  name  made  his  foes  tremble. 

In  the  council,  too,  his  power  grew.  His  words 
seemed  wise  to  the  gray  heads,  and  the  young  warriors 
were  ready  to  take  up  the  hatchet  or  lay  it  down  at  his 
bidding.  Because  of  his  eloquence  and  wisdom,  Pontiac 
was  made  sachem,  so  that  he  not  only  led  his  people  to 
battle,  but  also  ruled  them  in  time  of  peace.  He  was  called 


THE  CHIEF 


67 


the  greatest  councilor  and  warrior  of  the  Ottawas;  yet 
he  was  not  content. 

In  Michigan,  where  the  Ottawa  Indians  lived,  there 
were  other  tribes  of  the  Algonquin  Indians.  Chief  among 
these  were  the  Ojibwas  and  the  Pottawottomies.  These 
tribes,  though  related  by  marriage  and  on  friendly  terms, 
had  separate  chiefs.  But  gradually  they  came  to  recog 
nize  the  great  Pontiac  as  their  principal  ruler. 

Among  the  Indians  of  his  own  tribe  Pontiac's  word 
was  law.  Among  kindred  tribes  his  friendship  was 
sought  and  his  displeasure  feared.  Through  all  the  Al 
gonquin  territory,  from  the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf,  from  the 
mountains  to  the  river,  the  great  chiefs  name  was  known 
and  respected. 

Pontiac  was  no  doubt  proud  and  ambitious.  But 
if  he  was  glad  to  gain  glory  for  himself  he  considered 
the  good  of  his  people  also.  To  unite  them  and  over 
power  the  palefaces  was  the  end  toward  which  he  planned. 

By  this  time  he  had  learned  that  all  palefaces  were  not 
alike.  There  were  two  great  nations  of  them,  the  French 
and  the  English,  and  the  Indians  had  found  a  great  differ 
ence  between  them.  The  English  had  treated  them 
with  contempt  and  helped  themselves  to  their  lands. 
The  French  had  come  among  them  as  missionaries 
and  traders,  with  kind  words  and  gifts.  To  be  sure,  they 
had  built  forts  in  the  land,  but  they  told  the  Indians  they 
did  this  for  their  sake  that  they  might  protect  them  from 
the  English,  who  wished  to  take  their  lands.  The  French 
seemed  to  hate  the  English  no  less  than  the  Indians  did. 


68  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

It  is  said  that  Pontiac  planned  to  use  the  French  to 
help  him  conquer  the  English,  and  then  intended  to 
turn  upon  them  and  drive  them  away.  No  doubt  if  the 
French  had  openly  claimed  the  territory  of  the  Indians,  or 
in  any  way  had  shown  that  their  professions  of  friendship 
were  false,  Pontiac  would  have  been  their  enemy.  But 
he  evidently  took  them  at  their  word  and  looked  upon 
them  as  friends  who  wished  to  help  his  people. 

In  all  his  dealings  with  the  French,  Pontiac  was  true 
and  honorable.  He  joined  them  in  their  wars  against 
the  English.  He  and  his  Ottawas  helped  to  defeat  the 
British  regulars  under  General  Braddock  at  Fort  Du- 
quesne.  He  saved  the  French  garrison  at  Detroit  from 
an  attack  by  hostile  Indians.  He  trusted  them  when  all 
appearances  were  against  them.  His  acceptance  of  the 
peace  offered  by  Major  Rogers  on  the  shore  of  Lake 
Erie  was  not  a  betrayal  of  the  French.  Pontiac  did  not 
forsake  their  cause  until  they  had  given  it  up  themselves. 
He  took  a  step  which  seemed  for  the  best  interests  of  his 
own  people,  and,  at  the  same  time,  not  hurtful  to  the 
French.  We  have  seen  that  he  was  disappointed  in  the 
reward  he  expected. 

The  English,  having  subdued  the  French,  felt  able  to 
manage  the  Indians  without  difficulty.  They  were,  there 
fore,  more  careless  than  ever  about  pleasing  them.  They 
refused  to  give  the  supplies  which  the  French  had  been 
accustomed  to  distribute  among  the  Indians.  The  In 
dians  were  obliged  to  provide  for  themselves,  as  in  the 
days  of  Pontiac' s  childhood.  They  had  no  powder  or 


THE  CHIEF 


69 


bullets  and  the  young  men  had  lost  their  skill  with  the 
bow.    There  was  suffering  and  death  for  want  of  food. 

Even  Pontiac  had  been  willing  to 
profit  by  the  generosity  of  the  French. 
He  had  not  only  cheered  himself  with 
their  firewater,  but,  like  other  Indians,  he 
had  been  glad  to  give  up  his  bow  and 
arrow  for  a  gun;  he  had  been  ready  to 
accept  corn  and  smoked  meats  in  winter 
when  game  was  scarce,  and  to  protect 
himself  from  the  cold  with  the  French 
men's  blankets. 

He  realized  now  that  in  adopting  the 
white  men's  customs,  in  using  their  food 
and  blankets  and  arms,  his  people  had  be 
come  dependent  upon  them.  He  remem 
bered  the  stories  he  had  heard  in  his  child 
hood  about  the  might  of  the  INDIAN  WEAPON 
Ottawas  in  the  days  when  they 
depended  on  the  chase  for  their 
food,  and  fought  their  battles 
with  bows  and  arrows  and  stone 
hatchets.  He  wished  his  people 
would  return  to  the  old  customs. 
In  that  way  only  could  they  re 
gain  their  native  hardihood  and 
independence. 

While    Pontiac's    hatred    of 
the  English  grew  more  bitter  daily,  other  Indians  were 


INDIAN    WEAPON 


70  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

not  indifferent.  Through  all  the  Algonquin  tribes  spread 
this  hatred  for  the  English.  The  insolence  of  the  garri 
sons  at  the  forts  provoked  it ;  the  cheating,  the  bad  faith, 
and  the  brutality  of  the  English  trappers  and  traders 
increased  it;  the  refusal  of  supplies,  the  secret  influence 
of  the  French,  the  encroachments  of  English  settlers, 
fanned  it  into  fury.  And  when  at  last,  in  1762,  word 
came  that  the  English  claimed  the  land  of  the  Algonquins 
their  rage  could  no  longer  be  restrained. 


V.  THE  PLOT 

The  time  was  ripe  for  rebellion  and  Pontiac  was 
ready.  All  over  the  land  should  council  fires  be  lighted. 
All  over  the  land  should  the  hatchet  be  raised.  By  wile 
and  treachery  the  forts  should  fall.  By  fire  and  blood 
shed  the  settlements  should  be  laid  waste  and  the  English 
men  driven  into  the  sea.  Thus  spoke  Pontiac,  and  thus 
spoke  his  messengers,  who  with  war  belts  of  black  and 
red  wampum  and  hatchets  smeared  with  blood  sought 
out  the  villages  of  the  Algonquins.  Far  and  wide  this 
dark  company  went  its  way  through  forests,  across 
prairies,  in  spite  of  storm  or  flooded  stream,  or  mountain 
barrier.  No  camp  was  so  secret,  no  village  so  re 
mote,  that  the  messengers  of  war  did  not  find  it  out. 
Wherever  they  went  the  bloody  plan  found  favor;  the 
tokens  of  war  were  accepted  and  pledges  of  warlike  pur 
pose  sent  to  Pontiac. 


THE  PLOT  7i 

Not  far  from  the  summering  place  where  clustered 
the  lodges  of  Pontiac  and  his  kinsmen  rose  the  walls  of 
Fort  Detroit.  There  Pontiac  had  suffered  humiliation 
at  the  hands  of  the  English,  and  upon  it  he  planned  to 
visit  his  vengeance. 

The  little  French  military  station  planted  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Detroit  River  had  reached  half  a  century's 
growth.  It  had  become  a  place  of  some  importance. 
Both  banks  of  the  river  were  studded  with  farmhouses 
for  miles  above  and  below  the  "fort,"  as  the  walled 
village  where  the  soldiers  lived  was  called. 

The  fort  consisted  of  about  one  hundred  small  houses 
surrounded  by  a  palisade,  or  wall  of  heavy  stakes,  twenty- 
five  feet  high.  Since  gates  are  easily  broken  down,  over 
every  gate  a  block  house  had  been  built,  from  which  sol 
diers  could  fire  upon  the  approaching  enemy.  At  the 
four  corners  of  the  palisade  were  bastions,  or  fortified 
projections,  from  which  the  inmates  could  see  the  whole 
length  of  the  wall  and  shoot  any  one  attempting  to  climb 
it,  set  fire  to  it,  or  do  it  any  harm. 

The  small  log  houses  within  were  crowded  together 
with  only  narrow  passage-ways  between.  They  were 
roofed  with  bark  or  thatched  with  straw.  To  lessen  the 
danger  of  fire  a  wide  road  was  left  between  the  wall  and 
the  houses.  Besides  dwelling  houses,  there  were  in  the 
fort  the  barracks  where  the  soldiers  stayed,  the  church, 
shops,  and  the  council  house,  where  meetings  with  the 
Indians  were  held. 

At   this   time   the   garrison   consisted   of  about   one 


72  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

hundred  and  twenty  men.  But  counting  the  other  in 
mates  of  the  fort  and  the  Canadians  who  lived  along  the 
river,  there  were  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  white 
people  in  the  Detroit  settlement.  On  the  outskirts  of 
the  settlement  hung  the  Indian  villages,  much  as  the 
Indian  villages  crowd  around  the  white  settlements  of 
Alaska  to-day. 

In  the  midst  of  the  wilderness  this  little  band  of 
English  lived  protected  by  their  log  walls.  No  friends 
were  near.  Their  nearest  neighbors  were  the  conquered 
French,  who  regarded  them  with  jealousy  and  dislike. 
Not  far  away  were  their  Indian  enemies.  Yet  they 
thought  little  of  danger. 

Occasionally  some  story  of  Indian  treachery,  some 
rumor  of  Indian  hostility,  or  some  omen  of  evil  filled 
the  garrison  with  vague  alarm.  In  October,  1762,  dense 
clouds  gathered  over  the  fort,  and  soon  rain  black  as  ink 
fell  from  them.  This  strange  occurrence  stirred  up  the 
fears  of  the  settlers.  Some  said  that  it  was  a  sign  that  the 
end  of  the  world  was  at  hand ;  others,  that  it  was  a  sign  of 
war.  But  by  the  spring  of  the  next  year  the  settlers  of 
Detroit  had  ceased  to  think  of  the  black  rain  and  war. 

If  a  few  had  suffered  unrest  because  of  the  Indians, 
their  fears  were  put  to  flight  by  a  visit  which  Pontiac 
made  to  Detroit  late  in  April.  With  forty  of  his  chiefs 
he  came  to  the  fort  asking  to  be  allowed  to  perform  the 
peace  dance  before  the  commander.  The  request  was 
granted,  and  a  good-natured  crowd  gathered  near  Major 
Gladwin's  house  to  see  the  Indian  dance. 


THE  PLOT 


73 


No  one  thought  anything  of  the  fact  that  ten  of  the 
party  took  no  part  in  the  dance,  but  strolled  around  the 
fort  prying  into  everything.  Those  who  noticed  them 
at  all,  thought  their  conduct  showed  nothing  more  than 
childish  curiosity. 

No  one  dreamed  that  these  men  were  spies,  and 
that  the  sole  purpose  of  the  visit  was  to  discover  the 
strength  of  the  garrison.  The  Indians  left  with  prom 
ises  to  come  again  to  smoke  the  calumet  with  the  Eng 
lish  when  all  their  chiefs  should  assemble  after  the  win 
ter's  hunt. 

After  visiting  Detroit,  Pontiac  sent  swift-footed  run 
ners  to  all  the  tribes  in  the  neighboring  country,  calling 
the  chiefs  to  a  council  to  be  held  in  the  village  of  the  Pot- 
tawottomies. 

When  the  day  for  the  great  council  arrived,  all  the 
women  were  sent  away  from  the  village  so  that  they  could 
not  overhear  the  plans  of  the  chiefs.  At  the  door  of  the 
great  bark  lodge  where  the  chiefs  met,  sentinels  were 
posted  to  prevent  interruption. 

When  all  had  taken  their  places  in  the  council  room 
Pontiac  rose  and  laid  before  his  trusted  chiefs  his  crafty 
plans.  On  the  seventh  of  May  the  young  warriors  should 
gather  on  the  green  near  Detroit  to  play  ball,  while  the 
older  men  lay  on  the  ground  looking  on,  or  loitered  in 
and  about  the  fort.  The  squaws  should  go  about  the 
streets  with  guns  and  tomahawks  hidden  under  their 
blankets,  offering  mats  and  baskets  for  sale,  or  begging. 
Later  Pontiac,  with  the  principal  chiefs  would  arrive,  and 


74  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

ask  to  hold  a  council  with  the  commander  and  his  officers. 
While  speaking  in  the  council  he  would  suddenly  turn 
the  wampum  belt  that  he  held  in  his  hand.  At  that  sig 
nal  the  chiefs  should  throw  off  the  blankets  that  hid  their 
weapons  and  war  paint,  and  butcher  the  English  before 
they  could  offer  resistance.  When  the  Indians  outside 
heard  the  clamor  within  the  council  house  they  should 
snatch  the  guns  and  knives  that  the  squaws  carried,  fall 
upon  the  surprised  and  half-armed  soldiers,  kill  them 
and  plunder  and  burn  the  fort,  sparing  only  the  French. 

From  the  Indians'  point  of  view  this  seemed  a  brave 
plot.  No  one  objected  to  the  treachery.  All  the  gut 
tural  sounds  that  broke  from  the  throng  of  listeners  were 
made  for  approval  and  applause. 


VI.  THE  SEVENTH  OF  MAY 

The  Indians  kept  their  secret  well.  A  Canadian  saw 
some  Indians  filing  off  their  guns  to  make  them  short 
enough  to  hide  under  their  blankets.  But  if  his  suspicions 
were  aroused  he  held  his  peace  and  said  no  word  of  warn 
ing  to  the  English.  The  appointed  seventh  of  May  was 
at  hand  and  no  alarm  had  been  taken  at  the  garrison. 

But  on  the  evening  of  the  sixth,  Major  Gladwin  talked 
long  in  secret  with  his  officers,  then  ordered  half  the  gar 
rison  under  arms.  He  doubled  the  guard  and  himself  went 
from  place  to  place  to  see  that  every  man  was  at  his  post. 
The  soldiers  did  not  know  the  reason  for  this  unusual 
watchfulness,  but  they  understood  that  it  meant  danger. 


THE  SEVENTH  OF  MAY 


75 


It  is  said  that  in  the  afternoon  an  Indian  girl  who 
was  deeply  attached  to  the  English  Major  had  brought 
him  a  pair  of  moccasins  she  had  been  embroidering  for 
him.  She  lingered  at  the  fort  and  seemed  unwill 
ing  to  leave.  At  last  she  begged  Gladwin  to  go 
away  from  the  fort  for  a  day  or  two.  Her  conduct 
and  request  excited  <  /  J^  I  \f 

suspicion.  The  Ma 
jor  questioned  her 
closely  and  discov 
ered  Pontiac's  plot. 

Be  that  as  it  may, 
on  the  night  of  the 
sixth  Major  Glad- 
win  was  on  the  alert. 

Nothing  disturb 
ed  the  peace  of  the 
mild  May  night.  In 
the  morning  one 
watchman  on  the  - 
walls  said  to  another, 
"  See,  yonder  they 
come." 

The      man      ad 
dressed     looked     up 
the  stream  and  saw  many  birch  canoes  rapidly  approach 
ing  the  fort.     "  A  perfect  fleet !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"Yes;  plenty  of  boats,  but  not  many  Indians;  only 
two  or  three  in  each  canoe,"  replied  the  first. 


BETRAYAL  OF  PONTIAC'S  PLOT 


76  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

"That's  true.  But  see  how  deep  the  canoes  are  in  the 
water,  and  what  heavy  paddling  those  fellows  are  doing ! 
A  dozen  beaver  skins  to  one,  every  canoe's  got  a  load 
of  those  red  rascals  stretched  on  their  backs  well  out  of 
sight." 

"You  may  be  right,"  said  the  other,  shaking  his  head. 
"It  looks  as  if  there  might  be  some  ugly  work  before  us. 
They  say  the  Major  has  ordered  the  whole  garrison 
under  arms.  Even  the  shops  are  closed  and  the  traders 
armed  to  the  teeth." 

Most  of  the  Indians  who  came  in  the  boats  went  to  a 
green  near  the  fort  and  began  a  game  of  ball.  Soon  Pon- 
tiac  himself  was  seen  approaching  along  the  river  road  at 
the  head  of  sixty  of  his  chiefs.  They  wore  blankets  and 
marched  in  single  file  without  a  word.  When  they 
reached  the  gate  Pontiac,  with  his  accustomed  dignity, 
asked  that  he  and  his  chiefs  might  meet  their  English 
brothers  in  council  to  discuss  important  questions. 

In  answer  to  his  request  the  gates  swung  open.  Lines 
of  armed  soldiers  appeared  on  either  side.  The  Indians, 
trained  to  read  signs,  knew  at  once  that  their  plot  was 
discovered.  Perhaps  they  felt  that  the  treachery  they 
had  planned  would  be  visited  on  their  own  heads.  But 
if  they  feared,  they  gave  no  token;  they  said  no  word. 
They  walked  undaunted  through  the  narrow  streets, 
meeting  armed  soldiers  at  every  turn. 

At  the  council  house  they  found  Major  Gladwin,  his 
assistant,  Captain  Campbell,  and  other  officers  already 
assembled  and  waiting  for  them.  If  any  Indian  had 


THE  SEVENTH  OF  MAY  77 

doubted  the  discovery  of  their  plot,  he  was  certain  of  it 
when  he  saw  that  the  officers  wore  swords  at  their  sides 
and  pistols  in  their  belts.  It  was  with  some  reluctance 
that  they  seated  themselves  on  the  mats  arranged  for 
them. 

This  was  a  trying  moment  for  Pontiac.  He  stood 
there  discovered,  defeated.  But  he  did  not  quail  before 
the  steady  gaze  of  the  English.  His  brow  was  only  more 
haughty,  his  face  more  stern. 

"And  why,"  he  asked,  in  a  severe,  harsh  voice,  "do 
our  brothers  meet  us  to-day  with  guns  in  their  hands  ?  " 

"You  come  among  us  when  we  are  taking  our  regu 
lar  military  exercise,"  answered  the  commander  calmly. 

With  fears  somewhat  soothed,  Pontiac  began  to  speak : 
"  For  many  moons  the  love  of  our  brothers,  the  English, 
has  seemed  to  sleep.  It  is  now  spring;  the  sun  shines 
bright  and  hot ;  the  bears,  the  oaks,  the  rivers  awake  from 
their  sleep.  Brothers,  it  is  time  for  the  friendship  be 
tween  us  to  awake.  Our  chiefs  have  come  to  do  their 
part,  to  renew  their  pledges  of  peace  and  friendship." 

Here  he  made  a  movement  with  the  belt  he  held  in  his 
hand,  as  if  about  to  turn  it  over.  Every  Indian  was  ready 
to  spring.  Gladwin  gave  a  signal.  A  clash  of  arms 
sounded  through  the  open  door.  A  drum  began  beating 
a  charge.  Within  the  council  room  there  was  a  startled, 
breathless  silence.  Pontiac's  hand  was  stayed.  The  belt 
fell  back  to  its  first  position.  The  din  of  arms  ceased. 
Pontiac  repeated  his  promises  of  friendship  and  loyalty, 
and  then  sat  down. 


THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 


Major   Gladwin   answered   briefly:     "Brothers,    the 
English  are   not  fickle.     They   do   not   withdraw   their 

friendship  without 
cause.  As  long  as 
the  red  men  are 
faithful  to  their 
promises  they  will 
find  the  English  their 
steadfast  friends. 
But  if  the  Indians 
are  false  or  do  any 
injury  to  the  Eng 
lish,  the  English  will 
punish  them  without 
mercy." 

The  one  object  of 
the  Indians  was  now 
to  turn  aside  the  sus 
picion  of  the  Eng 
lish.  After  Glad- 
win's  speech  presents 
were  exchanged,  and 

PONTIAC>C5    SPFFfTT  ^1  1 

the  meeting  broke  up 

with  a  general  hand-shaking.  Before  leaving,  Pon- 
tiac  promised  that  he  would  return  in  a  few  days  with 
his  squaws  and  children  that  they  might  shake  hands 
with  their  English  brothers. 

"Scoundrels !"  laughed  one  officer,  when  the  last  In 
dian  had  left.     "They  were  afraid  to  sit  down.     They 


HOSTILITIES^  BEGUN  79 

thought  they  had  been  caught  in  their  own  trap.  It's  a 
pity  to  let  them  off  so  easily." 

"No,"  replied  another,  more  seriously.  "The  Major 
is  right.  If  there  is  an  outbreak,  the  Indians  must  take 
the  first  step.  They  depend  more  on  treachery  than  force 
for  success;  now  that  their  plan  is  foiled,  the  whole 
trouble  will  probably  blow  over." 

The  next  day  this  opinion  seemed  verified  by  the 
appearance  of  Pontiac  with  three  of  his  chiefs.  He 
brought  a  peace-pipe  and  approached  the  commander 
with  smooth  speeches :  "Evil  birds  have  whistled  in 
your  ears,  but  do  not  listen  to  them.  We  are  your 
friends.  We  have  come  to  prove  it.  We  will  smoke 
the  calumet  with  you." 

Pontiac  then  offered  his  great  peace-pipe.  After  it 
had  been  smoked  in  all  solemnity,  he  presented  it  to 
Captain  Campbell  as  a  high  mark  of  friendship. 


VII.  HOSTILITIES  BEGUN 

Bright  and  early  the  next  morning  hordes  of  naked 
savages  gathered  on  the  pasture  land  near  the  fort.  A 
long  quadrangle  was  marked  out  on  the  grass  with  lines 
across  it.  At  each  end  of  this  "gridiron"  two  tall  posts 
were  erected  five  or  six  feet  apart.  This,  as  you  may 
have  guessed,  was  to  prepare  for  an  Indian  game  of 
ball. 

When  all  was  ready  the  young  men  of  the  Ottawa 


80  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

tribes  took  their  places  on  one  side  of  the  field.  Oppo 
site  to  them  were  the  Pottawottomies.  Each  Indian 
had  a  long  racket  or  bat  with  which  he  tried  to  drive 
the  ball  to  the  goal  against  the  opposition  of  the  players 
of  the  other  nation.  Such  a  yelling  as  they  kept  up, 
running  and  pushing  and  plunging  and  prancing  the 
while!  Small  wonder  that  squaws,  warriors,  and  chiefs 
should  have  come  to  watch  so  exciting  a  game ! 


INDIANS   PLAYING   BALL 

Still  the  men  in  the  fort  kept  the  gates  closed  and 
stayed  behind  their  walls,  as  if  they  took  no  interest 
in  the  game.  They  were  really  watching  with  some  un 
easiness  the  vast  crowd  of  Indians  so  close  at  hand. 

When  the  game  was  finished  Pontiac  went  to  the 
gate  of  the  fort.  His  chiefs  attended  him  and  a  motley 


HOSTILITIES  BEGUN  8l 

crowd  of  warriors,  squaws,  and  children  came  trooping 
after.  The  great  chief  shouted  in  a  loud  voice,  demand 
ing  admission.  He  received  answer  that  he  might  come 
in  if  he  wished,  but  the  rest  would  have  to  keep  out. 
With  injured  dignity  he  asked  if  his  followers  were  not 
to  be  allowed  to  enjoy  the  smoke  of  the  calumet. 

The  English  commander,  tired  of  false  speech,  gave 
a  short  answer,  refusing  flatly  to  let  the  Indians  in. 
Thereupon  Pontiac's  brow  darkened  and  he  strode  off  to 
the  river  in  high  dudgeon. 

The  others  withdrew  a  little  and  stood  in  groups, 
muttering  and  gesticulating.  Then  with  wild  whoops 
they  bounded  off  to  join  their  comrades  who  lay  stretched 
on  the  earth  around  the  ball  grounds.  After  a  brief 
parley,  some  started  with  blood-curdling  yells  toward  a 
house  across  the  fields  where  an  English  woman  lived 
with  her  children;  others  leaped  into  their  canoes  and 
paddled  off  to  an  island  where  an  English  farmer  lived 
alone. 

Before  sunset  the  men  at  the  fort  heard  the  exultant 
scalp  yell  of  the  Indians,  and  knew  that  the  first  blood 
of  the  war  had  been  shed. 

In  the  meantime  Pontiac  hastened  with  gloomy  rage- 
to  his  own  village  across  the  river.  It  was  deserted 
by  all  but  a  few  squaws  and  old  men.  These  Pontiac 
ordered  to  pack  the  camp  luggage  and  make  all  ready 
for  removal,  as  soon  as  the  men  came  with  their  canoes 
to  carry  the  camp  equipment  to  the  Detroit  side  of  the 
river. 

FOUR  TND. — 6 


g2  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

All  labored  to  do  their  chief's  will,  while  he  went 
apart  and  blackened  his  face. 

At  nightfall  the  braves  came  in  with  the  scalps  they 
had  taken.  A  pole 'was  driven  into  the  ground  in  the 
open  space  where  the  tents  had  been.  The  warriors 
gathered  about  it,  their  bodies  decked  with  paint  and 
eagle  feathers. 

Pontiac  sprang  into  their  midst,  brandishing  his 
hatchet  and  striking  violently  at  the  pole.  As  he  danced 
about,  he  recited  the  great  deeds  he  and  his  fathers  had 
done  in  war.  His  appalling  cries,  his  terrible  words, 
stirred  the  hearts  of  his  Indians  and  fired  their  blood. 
All  were  in  a  frenzy  of  excitement.  With  wild  cries  they 
joined  their  chief  in  his  war  dance. 

Even  the  faint  echo  of  the  din  these  blood-thirsty 
demons  made  struck  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  watch 
ers  in  Detroit.  The  soldiers  kept  close  guard  all  night, 
expecting  an  attack  at  any  moment. 

But  not  till  early  dawn  did  the  war  cry  sound.  Shrill 
and  near  it  rose  from  hundreds  of  throats.  Strong  men 
turned  pale  at  the  clamor  of  yells  and  cracking  rifles.  It 
seemed  that  the  Indians  must  be  at  the  very  walls  of 
the  fort. 

The  guards  on  the  ramparts,  however,  could  see  no 
enemy  in  the  faint  gray  light.  From  behind  every  tree, 
every  stone,  every  rise  of  ground,  came  the  incessant 
flash  of  muskets.  Bullets  and  blazing  arrows  rattled 
against  the  palisades.  The  Indians  aimed  at  the  loop 
holes  and  succeeded  in  wounding  five  of  the  English. 


HOSTILITIES    BEGUN  83 

The  soldiers  returned  a  cautious  fire,  unwilling  to  waste 
powder  on  an  invisible  foe. 

After  an  attack  of  six  hours'  duration  the  Indians, 
weary  with  their  night's  activity,  gradually  withdrew 
to  their  camps,  having  suffered  no  loss,  but  at  the  same 
time  having  inflicted  little. 

Gladwin,  whose  spirit  was  manly  and  humane,  wished 
if  possible  to  avoid  further  bloodshed.  The  Canadians 
took  no  part  in  the  war,  and  could,  therefore,  be  safely 
used  as  messengers.  As  soon  as  the  battle  had  subsided 
Major  Gladwin  sent  a  deputation  of  them  to  tell  Pontiac 
that  he  was  willing  to  listen  to  any  real  grievance  of  the 
Indians,  and  do  his  best  to  redress  whatever  wrongs  they 
had  suffered. 

Pontiac  knew  that  his  chief  charge  of  injustice  against 
the  English,  their  presence  in  and  claim  to  his  lands, 
would  not  be  considered  by  the  English  a  real  grievance. 
He  thought  the  hour  for  talking  had  passed ;  the  time  for 
action  had  come.  Treachery  was  his  readiest  weapon 
and  he  used  it.  He  replied  that  he  could  consent  to  no 
terms  unless  they  were  made  with  the  English  in  person, 
and  asked  that  Captain  Campbell,  second  in  command  at 
the  fort,  come  to  a  council  in  his  camp. 

Captain  Campbell  had  no  fear,  and  urged  Major 
Gladwin  to  permit  him  to  go.  He  and  another  Eng 
lishman,  accordingly,  hastened  to  the  Indian  village. 
The  women  and  the  warriors  were  so  enraged  at  the  sight 
of  their  red  coats,  that  they  would  have  stoned  them 
had  not  Pontiac  interfered  and  led  them  to  his  lodge. 


84  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

After  a  long  but  fruitless  talk  around  the  council 
fire,  the  English  rose  to  go.  But  Pontiac  said :  "Broth 
ers,  you  will  sleep  to-night  on  the  couches  the  red  men 
have  spread  for  you."  He  then  gave  orders  that  his 
prisoners  should  be  taken  to  the  house  of  a  Canadian, 
where  they  should  be  treated  with  respect,  but  closely 
guarded. 


VIII.  THE  TWO  LEADERS 

When  the  officers  at  Detroit  learned  that  their  depu 
ties  were  detained  by  the  Indians,  they  realized  that  there 
was  no  hope  of  peace.  Before  the  fort  two  armed 
schooners  rode  at  anchor.  Most  of  the  officers  wished 
to  abandon  the  fort  and  seek  safety  by  sailing  away  on 
these  boats. 

"There  is  no  use  trying  to  hold  the  old  fort  against 
eight  times  our  number,"  they  said  impatiently. 

But  Major  Gladwin  had  no  thought  of  surrender. 
"We  could  not,"  he  answered,  "if  the  Indians  should 
attempt  to  force  the  walls.  But  there  is  no  danger  of 
their  venturing  within  gunshot  in  any  numbers.  They 
won't  risk  their  red  skins  that  way.  They'll  simply 
waste  their  powder  and  lead  in  such  firing  as  they  did 
this  morning,  and  pretty  soon  they'll  lose  heart  and 
drop  off,  leaving  Pontiac  to  beg  for  peace." 

"I  don't  suppose  they  will  unite  in  a  charge,"  as 
sented  one  of  the  officers.  "But  they  will  keep  a  sharp 
lookout  day  and  night  to  do  us  injury.  Wre  have  four 


THE  TWO  LEADERS  85 

walls  to  guard  and  only  one  hundred  and  twenty  men 
to  do  it.  The  garrison  will  be  exhausted  in  no  time." 

"Yes,  we  have  hard  work  before  us,"  agreed  the 
commander,  "but  we  can  do  it.  Our  case  is  hot  so  bad 
as  you  represent.  The  ship's  guns  protect  two  walls, 
so  that  virtually  only  two  sides  of  the  fort  are  ex 
posed  to  the  enemy.  To  me  the  most  alarming  feature  of 
the  siege  is  short  rations." 

"The  supplies  are  low  and  we  cannot  hope  for  more 
within  three  weeks.  We'll  starve  to  death,  penned  up 
here  with  no  hunting  and  no  provisions  from  the  Cana 
dian  farmers,"  complained  some,  ready  in  their  alarm 
to  magnify  every  danger. 

"By  taking  care  to  prevent  waste  we  can  make  the 
supplies  last,"  the  commander  interrupted.  "I  shall 
buy  up  at  once  everything  in  the  fort  that  can  serve  as 
food,  put  it  into  a  common  storehouse,  and  give  to  each 
person  a  daily  allowance.  If  even  with  this  care  the 
food  runs  short,  Canadians  may  be  found  who  love  gold 
better  than  Indians."  In  this  way  the  courageous  leader 
argued,  until,  at  last,  he  overcame  the  fears  of  his  aids 
and  roused  in  them  a  spirit  of  resistance. 

Pontiac  had  no  lack  of  warriors,  nevertheless  he,  as 
well  as  the  British  leader,  had  his  fears  and  difficulties. 

His  own  followers  were  not  easily  managed.  He 
had  brought  them  together  from  near  and  far  with  prom 
ise  of  easy  victory  over  the  English.  After  a  short 
struggle  many  of  the  tribes  lost  heart  and  were  ready 
to  go  back  to  their  villages. 


86 


THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 


The  Canadians  were  neutral  and  were  supposed  to 
sympathize  with  the  Indians;  but  Pontiac  knew  that 
many  of  them  favored  the  English,  and  were  ready  at 
the  slightest  offense  to  take  the  side  of  his  enemies. 

His  campaign  against  the  English  had  begun  with 
failure.  Treachery  had  failed.  He  had  put  the  Eng 
lish  on  their  guard  and  must  now  use  open  force. 

To  hold  a  horde  of 
savages  together,  to 
keep  the  fickle  Cana 
dians  friendly,  to  take 
without  cannon  all  the 
fortifications  on  the 
frontier,  were  the  tasks 
the  Indian  general  had 
set  himself. 

Pontiac's  personal  in 
fluence  over  the  Indians 
was  unparalleled.  He 
had  lost  none  of  his 
power  over  them  by  the 
defeat  of  his  plan  to 
take  Detroit.  No  In 
dian  dared  reproach  him 
with  failure.  All  quailed 
PONTIAC'S  ELOQUENCE  before  his  terrible  rage 

and  disappointment.  They  brought  him  the  scalps  of  the 
English  they  had  slain.  They  sought  to  please  him  with 
loud  outcries  against  the  English,  and  promises  of  the 


THE  TWO  LEADERS  87 

bloody  work  they  would  do.  He  held  all  in  awe  of  him. 
He  commanded  as  if  sure  of  being  obeyed,  and  punished 
the  slightest  disobedience  with  extreme  severity. 

But  he  did  not  govern  by  fear  alone.  He  took  care 
that  his  warriors  should  not  want  for  food;  he  took 
care  to  give  them  grounds  for  hope  and  to  keep  them 
busy. 

No  preparations  had  been  made  for  a  long  siege. 
When  provisions  failed  and  the  tribes  were  on  the  point 
of  leaving,  Pontiac  had  a  conference  with  some  Cana 
dians  and  arranged  that  they  should  furnish  his  people 
with  corn  and  meat.  He  had  no  money  to  pay  for  pro 
visions,  but  he  made  out  notes  promising  to  pay  for 
them  at  some  future  time.  These  notes  were  written 
on  birch  bark,  and  signed  with  the  figure  of  an  otter, 
the  totem  of  the  great  chief.  Many  of  the  farmers  feared 
they  would  never  see  the  money  promised  them  in  these 
notes,  but  Pontiac  paid  them  all  faithfully. 

Pontiac  knew  how  wasteful  his  people  were,  feasting 
in  the  day  of  plenty  without  thought  of  the  morrow. 
He  therefore  employed  a  Canadian  as  his  provision  offi 
cer.  This  man  had  charge  of  the  storehouse,  and  doled 
out  each  morning  the  provisions  for  the  day. 

This  novel  arrangement  increased  the  Indians'  con 
fidence  in  their  leader.  Yet  some  grew  restless  and 
were  on  the  point  of  giving  up  the  struggle  as  a  failure. 

On  learning  this,  Pontiac  sent  out  messengers  to 
the  Wyandot  Indians,  ordering  them  to  join  him  in  his 
war  against  the  British  or  prepare  to  be  wiped  off  the 


88  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

face  of  the  earth.  By  this  stroke  Pontiac  turned  threat 
ened  loss  into  gain.  The  support  of  the  warlike  Wyan- 
dots  renewed  the  courage  of  the  faint-hearted,  and  for 
a  time  all  thought  of  failure  ceased. 

The  chiefs  conduct  toward  the  Canadians  was  highly 
praiseworthy.  They  had  encouraged  him  to  make  war 
against  the  British  by  promising  that  the  French  king 
would  send  him  help.  Week  after  week  passed  and  no 
help  came.  Pontiac's  expectation  of  the  arrival  of  a 
French  army  grew  fainter  and  fainter.  Still  he  did  not 
lose  faith  in  the  truth  of  the  Canadians.  He  protected 
them  and  their  property  from  injury  and  theft;  for  there 
were  many  lawless  young  warriors  who  were  ready  to  do 
violence  to  the  French  as  well  as  to  the  English. 

While  pretending  to  sympathize  with  the  Indians, 
many  of  the  French  farmers  were  secretly  helping  the 
English  by  selling  them  food  and  reporting  the  move 
ments  of  the  Indians.  Pontiac  heard  many  reports  of 
their  faithlessness. 

One  stormy  evening  the  chief  entered  the  cabin  of 
a  Frenchman  whom  he  had  known  for  many  years. 
With  only  a  nod  for  his  host  he  sat  down  before  the 
dying  fire.  He  sat  there  wrapt  in  his  blanket  for  a  long 
time  without  a  word.  At  last  he  faced  the  Frenchman 
and  said :  "Old  friend,  I  hear  that  the  English  have 
offered  to  give  you  a  bushel  of  silver  if  you  will  take 
them  my  scalp." 

"It  is  false,"  cried  the  Frenchman  in  alarm.  "I 
would  not  injure  my  friend  for  many  bushels  of  silver." 


THE  SIEGE  OF  DETROIT  gc) 

"Pontiac  has  no  fear.  Pontiac  trusts  his  brother/'' 
the  Indian  replied,  and  stretching  himself  upon  a  bench 
he  was  soon  sound  asleep.  The  Frenchman  could  not 
be  false  to  such  faith  and  the  chief  slept  unharmed. 

While  successfully  keeping-  together  his  warriors 
and  strengthening  the  bond  of  friendship  between  the 
French  and  the  Indians,  Pontiac  was  carrying  on  the 
war  against  the  English  with  vigor.  His  camp  near  De 
troit  was  the  center  of  action.  From  it  Pontiac  directed 
the  war  and  kept  constant  watch  over  the  garrison.  He 
prevented  the  besieged  from  leaving  their  walls;  he  sent 
out  parties  to  waylay  the  supplies  the  British  were  ex 
pecting  from  the  East;  he  planned  and  managed  expedi 
tions  against  other  forts  held  by  the  British. 


IX.  THE  SIEGE  OF  DETROIT 

The  English  at  Detroit  soon  became  accustomed  to 
the  discomforts  and  alarms  of  the  siege.  The  women 
no  longer  trembled  when  the  Indian  war  whoop  sounded. 
The  men  no  longer  ran  to  the  walls  at  the  popping  of 
muskets.  The  smell  of  gunpowder,  the  whiz  of  bullets, 
had  lost  their  power  to  quicken  the  pulse. 

The  days  dragged  slowly  on.  A  few  wan-faced 
men  worked,  many  lounged  in  the  narrow  streets,  play 
ing  games  of  chance,  betting  on  the  outcome  of  the 
war,  quarreling,  complaining,  boasting.  Now  they 
talked  vauntingly,  telling  tales  of  the  Englishman's  prow- 


9o 


THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 


ess  and  the  Indian's  cowardice.  Again,  they  told  dis 
mal  stories  of  Indian  cruelty  and  massacre,  and  shook 
their  heads  over  their  own  prospects. 

But  every  idler  had  his  firelock  close  at  hand,  and 
all  the  time  the  sentinels  on  the  bastions  kept  a  sharp 
lookout.  Every  little  while  rapid  firing  broke  the  mo 
notony  of  the  long  watch;  the  rolling  drum  called  the 
garrison  to  the  ramparts;  wounded  men  groaned  under 
the  rough  kindness  of  the  fort  surgeon ;  the  dead  received 
the  soldiers'  burial.  But  over  all  the  old  flag  with  its 
red  cross,  stained  with  rain  and  smoke,  flapped  defi 
antly. 

Major  Gladwin  went  about  with  a  cheerful  face,  but 
a  heavy  heart.  Provisions  were  fast  melting  away.  It 
seemed  scarcely  possible  that  the  garrison  would  be  able 
to  hold  out  till  the  expected  supplies  arrived.  He  de 
cided  to  send  one  of  the  schooners  to  meet  the  provision 
boats,  to  warn  them  of  the  hostility  of  the  Indians  and 
urge  them  to  all  speed. 

They  could  ill  spare  any  of  the  garrison,  but  food 
must  be  had.  So,  on  a  bright  spring  morning  one  of 
the  vessels  weighed  anchor  and  started  for  the  East. 
Before  she  left  the  Detroit  River  the  wind  died  and 
her  sails  hung  limp. 

As  the  boat  lay  helplessly  drifting  with  the  current 
a  hundred  canoes  darted  out  from  the  shore.  In  the 
foremost  one  the  Indians  had  bound  their  prisoner,  Cap 
tain  Campbell.  The  British  saw,  and  were  afraid  to 
fire  lest  they  should  shoot  their  countryman.  Noticing 


THE  SIEGE  OF  DETROIT  9! 

their  hesitation,  the  brave  old  man  called  out:  "Don't 
think  of  me.  Do  your  duty  and  fire."  The  man  at  the 
cannon  still  paused.  A  breeze  stirred,  swelled  the  canvas, 
and  the  schooner  flew  like  a  great  gull  over  the  blue  wat 
ers  far  out  of  reach  of  the  canoes. 

After  the  boat  left,  a  gloom  settled  upon  the  little 
garrison  at  Detroit.  With  two  boats  in  the  harbor 
flight  had  seemed  possible.  Now  that  one  of  them  had 
gone,  all  felt  that  the  siege  meant  victory  or  death.  The 
daily  allowance  of  food  grew  smaller.  The  men  became 
exhausted  with  ceaseless  watching.  All  hope  was 
fixed  on  the  expected  reinforcements. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  May  the  sentinel  announced  that 
the  long  looked  for  convoy  was  in  sight.  The  good 
news  spread  rapidly.  Soon  the  entire  population  of  the 
village  was  hurrying  to  the  gate  that  led  to  the  river. 

The  hungry,  haggard-looking  men  that  crowded  the 
wharf  sent  up  cheer  after  cheer  as  the  boats  approached 
with  flags  flying.  Days  of  rest  and  plenty  seemed  theirs 
again.  Here  were  comrades  to  share  their  vigils.  Here 
was  food  to  satisfy  their  hunger. 

As  the  boats  drew  nearer,  the  cheers  died  in  throats 
hoarse  with  horror.  No  answering  shout  came  from  the 
boats.  The  English  at  the  oars  were  not  their  own 
masters.  The  long  expected  supplies  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  Indians.  The  men  to  whom  the  garrison 
had  looked  for  help  were  the  prisoners  of  the  enemy. 

Two  Englishmen  escaped  from  their  guards  and 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  fort  where  they  told  their  story : 


92  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

Ninety  men  had  started  with  large  stores  of  food  and 
ammunition,  early  in  the  spring  to  reinforce  Detroit. 
Meeting  the  schooner  from  the  fort  and  learning  the 
danger  and  need  of  the  garrison,  they  had  pushed  on  with 
all  possible  speed  until  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  De 
troit  River.  That  night,  as  the  boats  were  drawn  up  on 
the  shore  and  the  men  were  getting  supper,  their  camp  was 
suddenly  surprised  by  a  horde  of  Wyandot  Indians.  The 
British  made  an  attempt  to  defend  themselves.  But  the 
Indians  were  upon  them  brandishing  their  tomahawks  and 
yelling  like  demons.  Panic  fear  seized  the  white  men. 
They  dropped  their  guns,  fled  to  the  boats,  jumped  in 
and  pushed  off.  The  exultant  Indians  pressed  after  them 
and  succeeded  in  retaking  all  but  two  of  their  overloaded 
boats.  The  savages  were  now  taking  their  prisoners, 
about  sixty  in  number,  to  the  camp  of  Pontiac,  where 
they  would  be  tortured  and  put  to  death. 

The  success  of  this  bold  venture  probably  would  have 
ended  the  siege  of  Detroit  with  victory  for  Pontiac,  had 
the  Canadians  been  as  loyal  to  the  Indians  as  they  pre 
tended.  But  while  they  were  giving  the  chief  assur 
ances  of  good  will  and  future  help,  some  of  them  were 
secretly  succoring  the  English.  Under  the  cover  of  night 
they  smuggled  cattle  and  sheep  and  hogs  to  the  famish 
ing  garrison. 

Even  with  this  aid  the  prospects  of  the  little  garri 
son  were  dark  enough.  Every  wrind  seemed  to  blow 
them  ill  news. 

One  afternoon  the  guard  at  the  fort  heard  a  weird 


THE  SIEGE  OF  DETROIT 


93 


chant  and  saw  issuing  from  the  distant  forest  a  file  of 
warriors  whose  naked  bodies  were  smeared  with  black 
paint.  Every  one  of  them  carried  a  pole  over  his  shoul 
der,  and  the  horrified  watchers  knew  well  enough  that 
from  the  end  of  each  pole  fluttered  the  scalp  of  some 
Englishman.  They  learned  from  the  Canadians  that 
night  that  Fort  Sandusky  had  been  burned  and  its  garri 
son  murdered. 

A  little  later  the  Indians  offered  to  exchange  some 
prisoners  with  the  English.  The  victims  thus  released 
by  the  Indians  proved  to  be  from  Fort  St.  Joseph.  They 
told  how  that  fort  had  been  treacherously  taken  and 
burned,  and  all  the  inmates  but  themselves  slain. 

A  traveling  priest  brought  word  that  the  plot  which 
had  failed  at  Detroit  had  succeeded  only  too  well  at 
Michillimackinac.  Next  came  tidings  of  the  massacres 
at  Fort  Ouatanon  on  the  Wabash  River  and  at  Fort 
Miamis,  on  the  Maumee. 

Nor  was  the  tale  of  fire  and  blood  yet  ended.  A 
fugitive  from  the  camp  of  Pontiac  reached  Detroit  one 
afternoon.  It  proved  to  be  Ensign  Christie,  the  com 
manding  officer  at  Presqu'  Isle,  near  the  eastern  end  of 
Lake  Erie.  His  story  was  a  thrilling  one.  He  told  how 
his  little  garrison  of  twenty-seven  men  had  fortified  them 
selves  in  their  block  house  and  made  a  fierce  struggle  to 
keep  back  the  Indians  and  save  their  stronghold  from 
the  flames;  how  at  last  the  Indians  had  undermined 
their  fort  and  threatened  to  apply  the  torch  above  and 
below  at  once.  Then  to  escape  death  by  fire  the  little 


94  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

band  had  listened  to  the  promises  of  the  Indians  and 
yielded  themselves  prisoners. 

If  these  reports  terrified  the  English  at  Detroit,  they 
also  strengthened  their  determination  not  to  surrender. 
In  spite  of  fatigue,  hunger,  and  discouragement  they 
fought  stoutly  on,  until,  at  length,  there  came  a  turn 
in  the  tide  of  ill  fortune  that  had  surged  against  them. 

On  the  nineteenth  of  June  news  reached  them  that 
the  schooner  which  had  been  sent  to  meet  the  provisions 
had  returned  and  was  entering  the  Detroit  River.  This 
cheered  all,  for  they  knew  that  the  boat  had  been  to 
Niagara  for  more  supplies  and  more  men.  Still,  they 
remembered  the  fate  of  the  provision  boats,  and  were 
worried  lest  mischance  should  befall  the  schooner. 

Their  anxiety  increased  when  they  saw  the  Indians 
going  in  large  companies  down  the  river  and  heard 
from  the  Canadians  that  they  were  planning  to  attack 
the  schooner.  The  British  at  the  fort  fired  two  cannon 
shots  to  let  their  countrymen  know  that  they  still  held 
Detroit.  But  several  days  passed  before  they  heard 
anything  of  the  boat.  At  last  they  saw  her  sailing  safely 
toward  them. 

There  were  waving  caps,  shouts  of  joy,  and  prayers 
of  thanksgiving  among  the  little  company  of  half-starved 
men  who  thronged  at  the  gate  to  welcome  the  new 
comers. 

They  had  heard  that  eight  hundred  more  Ojibwa 
Indians  were  on  their  way  to  increase  the  forces  of 
Pontiac.  But  what  were  eight  hundred  Ojibwas  to 


IMPORTANT  ENGAGEMENTS 


95 


sixty  hardy  sons  of  England  and  a  schooner  loaded  with 
supplies  and  cannon! 


X.  IMPORTANT  ENGAGEMENTS 

Hope  grew  strong  in  Pontiac's  heart  as  week  after 
week  his  tribes  and  allies  brought  to  his  camp  trophies 
of  victory — guns,  prisoners,  scalps.  But  Detroit  trou 
bled  him.  The  most  violent  attacks  produced  no  ef 
fect.  To  starve  the  garrison  seemed  the  only  way  to 
conquer  it. 

When,  therefore,  Pontiac's  messengers  had  brought 
word  that  the  schooner  was  approaching  he  bent  his 
whole  energy  to  prevent  her  reaching  Detroit.  Along  the 
river  where  dense  underwoods  grew,  hundreds  of  Indians 
lay  concealed  with  their  canoes,  waiting  for  the  schooner. 

When,  in  the  darkness  of  a  moonless  night,  they  saw 
the  great  boat  sailing  steadily  up  the  narrow  channel  they 
paddled  silently  toward  her,  dark  specks  on  the  breast 
of  the  dark,  shining  river.  Nearer  and  nearer  they 
pressed.  All  was  silent  on  the  vessel.  Surely  no  one 
had  taken  alarm.  Not  a  shot  and  they  had  reached  the 
boat;  they  were  clambering  like  rats  up  its  bulky  sides — 
when  lo !  a  sharp  hammering  on  the  mast  head,  a  flash 
of  muskets  in  the  dark,  a  cry  of  defeat  and  rage  above 
the  din  of  battle!  Cannon  boomed;  canoes.flew  high  into 
the  air;  bullets  did  their  work. 

For  fourteen  Indians  the  long  struggle  against 
the  palefaces  was  over.  The  rest  scurried  to  the  shore 


0,6  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

as  best  they  could,  some  paddling,  some  swimming. 
Once  there,  they  took  shelter  behind  some  temporary 
earthworks,  and  opened  such  a  fierce  fire  on  the  schooner 
that  it  was  forced  to  drop  down  stream  to  a  broader 
part  of  the  river.  For  several  days  they  delayed  the 
ship,  but  at  length  she  sailed  boldly  past,  and  was  but 
little  injured  by  the  fire. 

Pontiac  wras  sorely  vexed  that  the  ship  had  suc 
ceeded  in  reaching  the  garrison.  He  and  his  people 
looked  upon  the  boats  with  almost  superstitious  hor 
ror.  Their  dislike  was  not  lessened  when  one  day  the 
smaller  schooner  made  her  way  against  wind  and  cur 
rent  up  to  Pontiac' s  village,  and  there  sent  shot  and 
shell  roaring  through  the  frail  dwellings. 

Though  no  loss  of  life  resulted,  the  Indians  were 
greatly  alarmed.  Pontiac  moved  his  camp  to  a  safer 
place  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  destroying  the 
ships.  Early  in  July  he  made  his  first  attempt. 

Two  large  boats  filled  with  birch  bark  and  pitch 
pine  were  tied  together  and  set  on  fire.  They  were  then 
cut  loose  and  left  to  float  clown  stream.  Keenly  the 
Indians  watched;  keenly,  the  English.  Would  the  fire- 
boats  go  close  enough?  the  first  wondered  with  bated 
breath.  Would  they  come  too  close?  questioned  the 
British.  Woe  on  the  one  hand,  joy  on  the  other!  the 
space  between  the  ships  and  the  flaming  craft  widens — 
the  fireboats  float  harmlessly  down  the  river.  A  second 
and  a  third  attempt  to  burn  the  boats  failed.  Fortune 
seemed  to  favor  the  English. 


IMPORTANT  ENGAGEMENTS  97 

Pontiac  began  to  despair  of  taking  Detroit  unaided. 
He  called  a  council  of  the  French.  He  reminded 
them  that  the  English  were  their  enemies  as  well  as 
his.  He  charged  them  with  helping  the  English  and 
told  them  that  the  time  had  come  for  them  to  choose 
sides  and  fight  with  him  or  against  him.  He  then  of 
fered  them  the  war  belt.  His  hope  was  that  they  would 
take  it  up  and  join  him  against  the  English. 

Now,  the  Canadians  had  become  by  the  terms  of  the 
treaty  that  closed  the  French  war,  British  subjects, 
but  they  were  ashamed  or  afraid  to  admit  it,  and  still 
deceived  the  Indians.  They  told  Pontiac  that  much 
as  it  would  please  them  to  fight  with  him  against  the 
English,  they  must  obey  the  commands  of  their  father, 
the  King  of  France,  who  had  bidden  them  to  remain 
at  peace  until  his  coming.  They  added  that  he,  with 
a  great  army,  was  already  on  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
would  soon  arrive  to  punish  the  enemies  of  his  children 
and  reward  their  friends.  They  advised  the  chieftain 
not  to  make  an  enemy  of  his  'mighty  friend. 

When  the  French  speaker  had  finished,  there  was  a 
short  silence.  Then  an  old  trapper  came  forward,  and, 
picking  up  the  war  belt,  declared  that  he  was  ready 
to  take  sides  with  the  Indians  against  the  English.  Sev 
eral  of  his  rough  comrades  followed  his  example. 

Pontiac's  hope  of  gaining  aid  from  the  French  was 
thus  not  utterly  defeated.  Besides,  he  still  believed 
their  talk  about  the  coming  of  the  French  king.  So 
the  French  and  Indians  continued  friends. 

FOUR  IND. — 7 


98  THE  STORY  OF  PONT^AC 

Some  of  the  tribes  growing  restless,  now  made  peace 
with  the  English  and  deserted  Pontiac.  But  a  greater 
blow  than  the  desertion  of  a  few  tribes  was  in  store  for 
the  chief. 

Late  in  July  he  learned  that  twenty-two  barges  bear 
ing  large  supplies  of  food  and  ammunition  and  almost 
three  hundred  men  had  made  their  way  up  the  Detroit 
River  in  safety,  protected  by  a  dense  fog.  The  news 
came  so  late  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  Indians  to 
oppose  the  progress  of  the  boats,  and  they  reached  the 
fort  with  little  resistance. 

At  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  second 
day  after  the  arrival  of  this  convoy,  Pontiac's  spies 
brought  him  word  that  the  English  were  coming  against 
his  camp  with  a  great  force. 

Swiftly  and  silently  the  Ottawas  broke  their  camp, 
and  with  some  Ojibwas  started  to  meet  the  British.  On 
reaching  the  site  of  their  former  camp,  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  above  the  fort,  near  the  bridge  that  crossed  a  little 
stream,  called  from  that  night  Bloody  Run,  they  formed 
an  ambush  and  waited  for  the  British. 

They  had  barely  time  to  hide  behind  their  old  earth 
works,  natural  ridges  and  piles  of  brush.  Already  they 
heard  the  barking  of  watchdogs  at  the  farmhouses  along 
the  river  road,  and  the  tramp  of  many  feet.  They  lis 
tened  and  discovered  that  the  enemy  outnumbered  them. 
What  of  that!  The  night  was  dark.  They  knew  their 
ground.  Their  scouts  would  soon  bring  other  tribes  to 
help  them. 


IMPORTANT  ENGAGEMENTS  99 

Every  Indian  was  out  of  sight;  every  gun  was  loaded. 
The  tramp  of  feet  drew  nearer.  A  dark  mass  of  march 
ing  men  came  in  sight.  The  quick  steps  of  the  advanced 
guard  rang  on  the  wooden  bridge.  All  else  was  still. 
The  vanguard  had  crossed  the  bridge  and  the  main  body 
of  the  English  had  started  over,  when,  in  front,  to  right, 
to  left,  burst  blood  curdling  yells,  blazed  a  fatal  volley  of 
muskets. 

Back  only,  lay  safety.  Those  who  had  not  fallen  in 
the  first  charge  turned  and  fled,  followed  by  a  rain  of 
bullets.  Panic  spread  along  the  line.  But  the  brave 
leader  of  the  English,  Captain  Dalzel,  sprang  to  the  front 
and  rallied  his  men.  They  made  a  bold  charge,  as  they 
thought,  into  the  midst  of  the  enemy ;  but  they  found  none 
to  resist  them.  Every  Indian  had  vanished.  They 
pressed  bravely  on  in  search  of  their  assailants;  but  the 
night  was  black  and  the  way  was  rough  and  unfamiliar. 
Whenever  they  reached  a  place  of  difficulty  the  Indians 
unexpectedly  renewed  their  attack. 

The  savages,  whose  eyes  were  accustomed  to  the  dark 
ness,  saw  the  enemy  after  a  parley  return  to  the  bridge. 
There,  half  of  the  men  mounted  guard  while  the  others 
took  up  the  dead  and  wounded  and  carried  them  to  two 
armed  boats  that  had  accompanied  them  down  the 
river. 

Seeing  that  a  return  to  the  fort  was  intended,  the  In 
dians  turned  back  in  large  numbers  to  form  another  am 
buscade  at  a  point  where  several  houses  and  barns  stood 
near  the  road  and  cut  the  English  off  from  the  fort. 


100  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

They  again  allowed  the  vanguard  to  pass  unmolested 
and  surprised  the  center  with  a  galling  fire.  The  sol 
diers,  confused  by  the  weird  and  terrible  cries  of  the  sav 
ages  and  the  blaze  of  musketry,  blinded  by  smoke  and 
flash,  and  stung  by  pelting  bullets,  huddled  together  like 
sheep. 

Captain  Dalzel,  though  severely  wounded,  by  com 
manding,  imploring,  fairly  driving  his  men  with  his 
sword,  at  last  succeeded  in  regaining  order.  He  made  a 
charge  and  as  usual  the  Indians  fled  before  the  attack. 
As  soon  as  the  English  attempted  to  continue  their  re 
treat  the  Indians  were  upon  them  again,  firing  from  every 
fence  and  thicket. 

The  gallant  Dalzel  was  among  those  shot  down  by 
this  fire.  He  died  trying  to  save  a  wounded  soldier  from 
the  scalping  knife  of  the  Indians.  In  the  confusion  he 
was  scarcely  missed.  The  officers  next  in  command 
took  charge  of  the  retreat.  In  the  gray  dawn  the  rem 
nant  of  Dalzel' s  army  reached  the  fort.  The  Indians  went 
off,  well  satisfied  with  their  night's  work,  to  count  their 
scalps  and  celebrate. 

While  the  English  lost  about  sixty  men  in  this  en 
gagement,  called  the  battle  of  Bloody  Ridge,  the  number 
of  Indians  killed  and  wounded  was  not  greater  than  fifteen 
or  twenty.  The  Indians  considered  it  a  great  victory  and 
fresh  warriors  flocked  to  the  camp  of  the  Indian  comman 
der  who  seemed  to  be  a  match  for  the  English. 


THE  END  OF  THE  SIEGE  IOi 

XI.  THE  END  OF  THE  SIEGE 

We  have  seen  that  after  the  battle  of  Bloody  Ridge 
many  tribes  that  had  before  been  afraid  to  take  up  the 
hatchet  against  the  English,  presented  themselves  at  the 
camp  of  Pontiac,  eager  for  a  share  in  the  victory  at 
Detroit,  which  they  thought  would  follow. 

Yet  that  English  stronghold,  that  log  palisade,  was 
a  prize  out  of  reach  of  the  chief  and  his  warriors.  The 
Indians  kept  close  watch.  If  a  head  appeared  at  a  loop 
hole,  bang  went  an  Indian's  gun.  If  a  point  was  left 
unguarded,  there  was  the  torch  applied.  Fire  arrows 
whizzed  over  the  rampart  in  the  darkness,  only  to  burn 
themselves  out  in  the  broad  roadway  between  the  wall 
and  the  buildings.  Again  and  again  hundreds  of  painted 
warriors  danced  about  the  fort  yelling  as  if  Detroit,  like 
Jericho,  might  be  taken  with  shouting.  Their  spent  bul 
lets  pelted  the  old  fort  like  harmless  hail.  They  tried  to 
rush  upon  the  gate,  but  the  fusilade  from  the  block  house 
and  the  fire-belching  cannon  of  the  British  drove  them 
back  helter-skelter. 

Late  in  September  an  incident  occurred  which  in 
creased  the  Indians'  awe  of  the  British.  A  scout  brought 
word  to  Pontiac  that  a  dispatch  boat  with  a  large  store  of 
provisions  was  on  her  way  to  the  fort.  As  there  were 
only  twelve  men  aboard,  her  capture  seemed  an  easy  mat 
ter. 

The  Indians  planned  a  midnight  attack.  Three  hun 
dred  of  them  drifted  down  the  river  in  their  light  birch 


I02  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

canoes.  The  night  was  so  dark  and  they  came  so  noise 
lessly  that  the  watching  English  did  not  know  of  their 
approach  until  they  were  within  gunshot  of  the  boat. 

A  cannon  was  fired,  but  its  shot  and  shell  went  over 
the  heads  of  the  Indians  and  plowed  up  the  black  water 
beyond.  The  canoes  were  all  about  the  ship  and  the  sav 
ages,  with  knives  in  their  teeth,  were  climbing  up  its 
sides.  The  crew  fired  once.  One  or  two  Indians  fell 
back  into  the  water;  the  rest  came  on.  As  they  climbed 
nearer,  the  British  charged  them  with  bayonets,  and 
hacked  them  with  hatchets  and  knives.  But  where  one 
man  was  driven  back  a  dozen  gained  the  deck. 

The  little  crew  defended  themselves  desperately;  they 
were  surrounded  by  brandished  tomahawks ;  their  captain 
had  fallen;  more  than  half  their  number  were  cut  down. 
The  Indians  were  raising  their  shout  of  triumph.  Then 
the  order  of  Jacobs,  the  mate,  rang  out :  "Blow  up  the 
ship!"  he  said.  One  Indian  understood  and  gave  the 
alarm  to  his  fellows.  With  one  accord  they  threw  down 
hatchets  and  knives  and  leaped  into  the  river.  They  made 
haste  to  reach  the  shore  and  left  six  bloodstained  British 
sailors  to  take  their  boat  in  triumph  to  Detroit. 

As  autumn  advanced  the  Indians  grew  weary  of  the 
long  siege.  The  prospect  of  winter  with  no  food,  the 
continued  resistance  of  the  British,  and  the  report  that  a 
large  force  of  armed  men  was  coming  to  relieve  Detroit, 
discouraged  them. 

One  tribe  after  another  sent  delegations  to  Major 
Gladwin  to  sue  for  peace.  They  told  smooth  stories. 


THE  END  OF  THE  SIEGE 


103 


They  had  always  loved  the  English,  but  Pontiac  had  com 
pelled  them  to  go  to  war.  Now  they  were  sorry  they 
had  obeyed  him  and  longed  to  be  at  peace  with  their  Eng 
lish  brothers. 

Gladwin  understood  their  deceit,  but  as  he  was  in  need 
of  winter  supplies,  readily  granted  them  a  truce.  The 
various  tribes  broke  up  their  camps  and  separated  for 
the  long  winter  hunt. 

Pontiac  and  his  Ottawas  still  held  their  ground  with 
out  flinching.  "Surely,"  thought  the  proud-hearted 
chief,  "our  French  father  will  send  us  help  before  long." 

One  day,  near  the  close  of  October,  a  messenger  did 
come  from  the  French.  The  letter  he  brought  was  from 
M.  Neyon,  the  commandant  of  Fort  Chartres,  in  the 
Illinois  country.  Pontiac  had  written  to  him  asking  for 
aid.  What  had  he  answered?  He  had  told  the  truth. 
He  had  told  Pontiac  that  the  French  in  America  were 
now  the  subjects  of  the  English  king,  and  so  could  not 
fight  against  his  people. 

When  the  great  chief  heard  this  he  did  not  put  on 
his  war  paint  and  lead  his  warriors  against  the  defense 
less  French  who  had  so  long  dealt  falsely  with  him.  He 
sat  alone  for  a  long  time,  thinking.  The  next  day  he 
sent  a  letter  to  Major  Gladwin  saying  that  he  was  now 
ready  to  bury  the  hatchet,  and  begging  the  English  to 
forget  the  past. 

Major  Gladwin  thought  that  the  French  were  more 
to  blame  than  the  Indians  in  the  war,  and  was  willing  to 
be  at  peace  with  his  red  neighbors.  So  he  sent  Pontiac  a 


104 


THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 


favorable  reply.  A  few  days  later  the  stern- faced  chief 
turned  his  back  on  Detroit,  and  began  his  march  to  the 
Maumee  River,  followed  by  his  faithful  braves. 


XII.  ALL  ALONG  THE  FRONTIER 

The  plan  of  Pontiac  had  been  to  take  the  forts  all 
along  the  frontier  by  strategy  and  then  destroy  the  de 
fenceless  English  settlements. 

We  have  seen  that  while  there  were  many  French 
farmers  living  outside  of  the  walls  of  Detroit  there  were 
very  few  English.  And,  in  truth,  in  1763,  there  were  not 
many  English  settlers  east  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains. 
Most  of  the  forts  that  had  been  taken  from  the  French, 
except  those  on  the  Mississippi  River,  were  garrisoned 
with  English.  Within  reach  of  the  protection  of  these 
forts,  lived  some  British  traders  and  trappers,  and  a  few 
venturesome  settlers.  But  the  Mohawk  Valley  in  New 
York,  and  the  Susquehanna,  in  Pennsylvania,  really 
formed  the  western  limit  of  extensive  English  settle 
ment. 

Pontiac's  war  belts  had  stirred  up  the  Indians  all  along 
the  border.  In  the  summer  of  1763,  while  he  and  the 
Ottawas  and  O  jib  was  were  besieging  Detroit,  the  Dela- 
wares  and  Shawnees  were  laying  waste  the  Pennsylvania 
frontier. 

Backwoodsmen,  trappers  or  travelers,  venturing  into 
the  wilderness  were  shot  down  without  warning.  Men, 


ALL  ALONG  THE  FRONTIER  IOc; 

women,  and  children  were  miserably  slain.  Isolated 
farmhouses  were  attacked,  their  inmates  scalped,  the 
cabins  burned.  Churches  and  schools  added  to  the  blaze 
that  swept  the  wilderness  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the 
Ohio.  One  after  another  the  smaller  forts  were  taken 
by  the  Indians. 

Panic  seized  the  settlers.  Women  left  the  kettle  on 
the  hearth,  men  the  plow  in  the  furrow,  and  fled.  Some 
crowded  for  refuge  into  the  nearest  fort.  Others  feared 
to  stop  until  they  had  reached  Lancaster  or  even  Phila 
delphia. 

The  terrible  butcheries  committed  by  the  Indians  so 
maddened  the  frontiersmen  that  they  forgot  their  civiliza 
tion  and  resorted  to  methods  as  inhuman  as  did  the  In 
dians.  Peaceable,  friendly  Indians  were  massacred  by 
bands  of  ruffian  borderers,  organized  for  vengeance  as 
well  as  protection.  Even  men  in  high  places  forgot  their 
usual  humanity.  The  commander-in-chief  of  the  army, 
Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst,  and  Colonel  Henry  Bouquet  planned 
to  send  smallpox  among  the  Indians  by  giving  them  in 
fected  blankets.  They  even  talked  of  righting  them  with 
bloodhounds  instead  of  soldiers.  The  Governor  of  Penn 
sylvania  issued  a  proclamation  offering  a  reward  for 
Indian  prisoners  and  Indian  scalps. 

Fort  Pitt,  one  of  the  most  important  posts  on  the 
frontier,  held  out  against  the  attacks  of  the  Delawares 
and  the  Shawnees.  When  the  commander-in-chief  of 
the  army  learned  of  the  distress  of  the  fort  he  sent  a 
strong  force  under  Colonel  Bouquet  to  relieve  it. 


io6 


THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 


In  August,  when  crossing  the  Alleghany  Mountains, 
Bouquet's  army  was  assailed  by  a  horde  of  Indians  that 
had  been  lying  in  wait  for  them  at  Bushy  Run.  The  bat 
tle  which  followed  was  hot.  The  British  were  coura 
geous,  but  they  fell  in  large  numbers  under  the  fire  of  the 
Indians,  who  fled  before  every  charge,  only  to  return  like 
infuriated  wasps  at  the  moment  the  English  fancied  they 
had  repulsed  them.  Night  brought  relief  from  the  gall 
ing  fire.  But  the  battle  was  not  over. 

The  English  were  held  penned  up  on  the  road  without 
water  till  dawn,  when  the  charge  was  renewed  with  such 
zest  that  for  a  time  it  looked  as  if  there  were  no  escape 

for  the  forces  of  Bouquet. 
The  unusual  boldness  of 
the  Indians  suggested 

to  him  a  strata- 
gem< 

He  feigned  a 
retreat.  Thus 
encouraged  the 
Indians  rushed 
upon  the  British 
_  with  war  whoop 
and  scalp  cry. 

REDOUBT  AT  FORT  PITT  The        forces       of 

Bouquet  divided ;  the  Indians  filled  the  breach.  Then  at 
the  word  of  command  the  troops  closed  on  them,  charg 
ing  with  bayonets.  Many  of  the  Indians  entrapped  in 
this  way  fell;  the  rest  fled. 


ALL  ALONG  THE  FRONTIER 


107 


After  that  the  English  made  their  way  to  Fort  Pitt 
without  serious  interruption.  In  the  battle  of  Bushy 
Run  the  loss  on  both  sides  was  heavy  for  an  Indian  bat 
tle.  The  English  lost  eight  officers  and  over  one  hundred 
soldiers-;  the  Indians,  several  chiefs  and  about  sixty  war 
riors.  Though  the  English  loss  was  greater  than  that 
of  the  Indians,  it  could  be  more  easily  made  up.  For 
that  reason,  and  because  the  English  had  succeeded  in 
reaching  Fort  Pitt,  the  expedition  was  regarded  as  a 
splendid  victory  for  the  palefaces. 

As  winter  advanced  the  Indians  were  obliged  to  de 
sist  from  war  and  go  into  the  forest  in  small  companies 
to  hunt.  During  the  winter  that  followed  the  rebellion, 
the  Indians  had  no  help  from  the  white  people,  and  the 
bitter  hardships  they  suffered  did  much  to  put  them  into  a 
pacific  frame  of  mind. 

Sir  William  Johnson,  the  king's  sole  agent  and 
superintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  understood  the  red 
men  better  than  most  of  his  countrymen  did.  He  lived 
among  them  on  a  great  estate  in  the  Mohawk  Valley. 
He  spoke  their  language  and  often  dressed  in  Indian  suit 
of  slashed  deerskin. 

In  his  opinion  it  was  wasteful  and  unwise  to  fight 
with  the  Indians.  He  said  the  English  were  largely  to 
blame  for  the  Indian  war  because  of  their  injustice  and 
their  want  of  policy  in  dealing  with  the  savages.  He 
advocated  following  the  example  of  the  French,  and  win 
ning  the  good  will  of  the  Indians  by  flattery  and  pres 
ents.  He  believed  that  under  that  policy  the  Indians 


I0g  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

would  become  so  dependent  on  the  white  man  that  they 
could  be  easily  subdued. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1764  he  sent  messages  to 
the  various  tribes,  warning  them  that  two  great  armies 
of  English  soldiers  were  ready  to  start  into  the  western 
forest  to  punish  the  enemies  of  the  English,  and  inviting 
all  who  wished  to  make  peace  to  meet  him  at  Niagara. 

Accordingly,  early  in  the  spring,  the  fields  around 
the  fort  at  Niagara  were  dotted  with  Indian  encamp 
ments.  Among  the  savages  were  friendly  Indians  who 
had  come  to  claim  their  reward;  enemies  who,  through 
want  or  fear,  were  ready  to  make  a  temporary  peace,  and 
spies,  who  wanted  to  see  what  was  going  on. 

For  many  a  long  day  Sir  William  Johnson  sat  in  the 
council  room  at  the  fort  making  treaties  with  various 
tribes.  All  day  the  fumes  of  the  peace-pipe  filled  the 
hall,  and  threats  and  promises  were  made,  and  sealed 
with  long  strings  of  wampum. 

It  would  have  taken  much  less  time  to  make  one 
treaty  with  all  the  Indians,  but  Sir  William  Johnson 
sought  to  discourage  the  idea  of  a  common  cause,  which 
Pontiac  had  done  so  much  to  arouse  among  the  Indians. 
He  treated  each  tribe  as  if  its  case  were  quite  different 
from  that  of  every  other  tribe. 

Some  Indians  were  so  bold  that  they  would  not  even 
pretend  to  be  friendly.  The  Delawares  and  the  Shaw- 
nees  replied  to  the  Indian  agent's  message  summoning 
them  to  Niagara,  that  they  were  not  afraid  of  the  Eng 
lish,  but  looked  upon  them  as  old  women. 


ALL  ALONG  THE  FRONTIER 


The  armies  to  which  Sir  William  Johnson  had  re 
ferred  were  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Bouquet  and 
Colonel  Bradstreet.  The  latter  went  by  way  of  the 
Lakes  to  relieve  Detroit,  offer  peace  to  the  northern  In 
dians,  and  subdue  those  who  refused  to  submit.  Bou 
quet,  with  a  thousand  men,  penetrated  the  forests  further 
south  to  compel  the  fierce  Delawares  and  Shawnees  to 
submission.  Both  succeeded. 


COUNCIL  WITH  COLONEL  BOUQUET 

Bradstreet  found  the  northern  Indians  ready  to  come 
to  terms.  He  has  been  criticised  for  requiring  the  In 
dians  to  sign  papers  they  did  not  understand  and  make 
promises  that  they  did  not  fulfill.  He  did  not  see  Pon- 
tiac,  but  sent  a  deputation  to  find  him  and  confer  with 
him. 


IIO  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

Colonel  Bouquet,  on  the  other  hand,  was  stern  and 
terrible.  In  council  he  addressed  the  Indians  as  chiefs, 
and  warriors,  instead  of  "  brothers."  He  refused  to 
smooth  over  their  wrong  doing  or  listen  to  the  excuses 
they  offered  for  going  to  war.  He  charged  them  openly 
with  the  wrongs  they  had  done,  and  required  them  to 
surrender  all  their  white  prisoners  and  give  him  hostages 
from  their  own  race. 

Many  of  the  captives  had  lived  among  the  Indians 
so  long  that  they  had  forgotten  their  white  relatives  and 
friends.  They  left  the  Indian  life  and  Indian  friends 
with  tears,  and  would  have  remained  in  captivity  gladly. 
But  Colonel  Bouquet  would  make  no  exceptions. 

His  stern  measures  subdued  the  warlike  tribes  com 
pletely.  In  the  fall  of  1764  Bouquet  returned  to  the 
East  to  receive  honors  and  rewards  for  his  services. 


XIII.  THE  LAST  OF  PONTIAC 

While  other  Indians  were  promising  to  bury  the 
hatchet,  Pontiac,  the  soul  of  the  conspiracy,  made  no 
promises  and  smoked  no  peace-pipe.  Surrounded  by 
hundreds  of  warriors  the  chief  camped  on  the  Maumee 
River.  His  messengers  brought  him  news  of  what  was 
going  on,  and  until  the  white  men  had  taken  their  sol 
diers  from  the  land  he  was  content  to  wait  and  plan. 

Captain  Morris,  who  had  been  sent  to  Pontiac's 
camp  by  Colonel  Bradstreet,  was  coldly  received  by  the 


THE  LAST  OF  PONTIAC  !  T  : 

great  chief.  Pontiac,  indeed,  granted  him  a  hearing, 
but  he  bent  upon  his  guest  dark  looks  and  refused  to 
shake  his  hand.  He  made  no  flowery  speeches,  but  de 
clared  that  all  the  British  were  liars,  and  asked  what 
new  lies  he  had  come  to  tell.  After  some  talk  Pontiac 
showed  the  captain  a  letter  which  he  supposed  to  have 
been  written  by  the  King  of  France.  It  told  the  old 
story  of  the  French  army  on  its  way  to  destroy  the  Eng 
lish.  Captain  Morris  did  his  best  to  persuade  him  that 
the  report  was  false.  He  was  much  impressed  with  the 
influence,  knowledge,  and  sense  of  Pontiac — an  Indian 
who  commanded  eighteen  nations  and  was  acquainted 
with  the  laws  that  regulated  the  conduct  of  civilized 
states. 

Pontiac  would  make  no  official  promises  of  peace,  but 
he  was  so  much  discouraged  by  the  communications 
Captain  Morris  brought,  that  he  said  to  one  of  the  fol 
lowers  of  the  latter:  "I  shall  never  more  lead  the  na 
tions  to  war.  As  for  them,  let  them  be  at  peace  with 
the  English  if  they  will;  for  me,  I  shall  be  at  war  with 
them  forever.  I  shall  be  a  wanderer  in  the  woods,  and 
if  they  come  to  seek  me  I  will  fight  them  single-handed/' 
With  much  bitterness  of  soul  did  Pontiac  learn  that 
the  forts  he  had  taken  with  so  much  effort  and  loss  of 
Indian  blood,  had  been  retaken  by  the  enemy;  that  the 
war  spirit  he  had  with  so  much  labor  aroused  had  been 
put  to  sleep. 

But  his  hopes  were  not  easily  dashed.     There  were 
the   letters   from   the   French.     The   English    said   they 


II2  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

were  false,  but  the  English  were  his  enemies.  The 
French  were  his  friends.  Enemies  might  deceive  each 
other,  but  friends  must  trust  each  other. 

His  confidence  in  the  French  was  encouraged  by  the 
fact  that  several  of  the  forts  in  the  Illinois  country  were 
still  occupied  by  French  garrisons. 

Pontiac  resolved  to  make  another  effort  to  rouse  his 
people.  He  set  his  squaws  to  work  on  a  wampum  war 
belt,  broad  and  long,  containing  symbols  of  ;the  forty- 
seven  tribes  which  belonged  to  his  confederacy.  When  the 
belt  was  done  he  sent  a  delegation  of  chiefs  to  the  south 
with  it.  These  messengers  were  instructed  to  show  the 
war  belt  and  offer  the  hatchet  to  all  the  tribes  along  the 
Mississippi  River  as  far  south  as  New  Orleans.  They 
were  then  to  visit  the  French  Governor  at  New  Orleans 
and  invite  him  to  assist  them  in  war  against  their  com 
mon  enemy. 

Pontiac,  in  the  meantime,  went  about  among  his 
old  French  friends  asking  for  their  help,  and  among 
the  Illinois  Indians  urging  them  with  threats  and  prom 
ises  to  join  him  in  making  war  against  the  English.  He 
met  with  some  success,  but  his  dreams  were  rudely 
broken  by  the  return  of  his  chiefs  with  the  news  that  the 
Governor  of  New  Orleans  had  indeed  yielded  to  the  Brit 
ish,  and  by  the  arrival  of  a  company  of  British  from 
Fort  Pitt,  offering  terms  of  peace  to  the  Illinois  Indians. 
Daily  Pontiac's  allies  deserted  him,  and  accepted  the 
terms  of  the  English. 

Again  the  day  had  come  when  it  seemed  to  Pontiac 


THE  LAST  OF  PONTIAC  H^ 

\J 

wise  to  let  his  hatred  of  the  English  sleep.  He  sent  his 
great  peace-pipe  to  Sir  William  Johnson  and  promised 
to  go  to  Oswego  in  the  spring  to  conclude  a  treaty  with 
him. 

True  to  his  promise,  in  the  spring  of  1766,  Pontiac, 
greatest  war  chief  and  sachem  of  the  Ottawas,  presented 
himself  in  the  council  chamber  of  Sir  William  Johnson. 
There  was  nothing  fawning  in  his  attitude ;  he  conducted 
himself  with  the  dignity  of  a  fallen  monarch.  "When 
you  speak  to  me,"  he  said,  "it  is  as  if  you  addressed  all 
the  nations  of  the  west."  In  making  peace  he  submitted 
not  to  the  will  of  the  British  but  to  that  of  the  Great 
Spirit,  whose  will  it  was  that  there  should  be  peace.  He 
made  it  clear  that  in  allowing  the  English  to  take  the 
forts  of  the  French  the  Indians  granted  them  no 
right  to  their  lands.  When  he  promised  friendship  for 
the  future,  he  called  his  hearers  to  witness  how  true  a 
friend  he  had  been  to  the  French,  who  had  deceived 
him  and  given  him  reason  to  transfer  his  friendship. 

It  would  be  hard  to  say  how  sincere  Pontiac  was,  or 
how  readily  he  would  have  let  go  the  chain  of  friend 
ship  he  had  been  forced  to  take  up,  had  opportunity 
offered.  He  went  back  to  his  camp  on  the  Maumee 
River,  and  there  among  his  own  people  tried  to  live 
the  life  of  his  fathers.  Little  was  heard  of  him  for  a 
year  or  two,  but  whenever  an  outbreak  occurred  among 
the  Indians  there  were  those  who  said  Pontiac  was  at 
the  bottom  of  it. 

In   the   spring  of   1769,   anxious  to  see  his   French 

FOUR    IND. — 8 


II4  THE  STORY  OF  PONTIAC 

friends  once  more,  he  made  a  visit  to  St.  Louis.  He 
was  cordially  received  and  spent  several  days  with  his 
old  acquaintances.  Then  he  crossed  the  river  with  a 
few  chiefs  to  visit  an  assembly  of  traders  and'  Illinois 
Indians. 

After  feasting  and  drinking  with  some  of  the  Illinois, 
Pontiac  sought  the  quiet  of  the  forest.  He  wandered 
through  its  dim  aisles,  living  over  again  the  hopes  and 
ambitions  of  the  past,  which  his  visit  with  the  French  and 
the  Illinois  had  vividly  recalled.  He  had  forgotten  the 
present  and  was  again  the  mighty  warrior  who  had 
made  the  hearts  of  the  palefaces  quake  with  fear.  Little 
he  dreamed  that  behind  him  stood  an  assassin  with  up 
raised  tomahawk. 

The  murderer  of  the  great  chief  was  an  Illinois  In 
dian  who  had  been  bribed  to  do  the  deed  by  an  English 
trader. 

During  his  life  Pontiac  had  tried  to  overcome  the 
tribal  feeling  of  the  Indians,  and  to  unite  them  as  one 
people.  Over  his  grave  the  old  tribal  instinct  awoke. 
The  Illinois  rallied  about  their  kinsman  to  protect  him; 
the  Ottawas  flew  to  arms  to  avenge  their  chief — such 
a  sachem,  such  a  chief,  could  not  be  forgotten.  Wrong 
to  him  could  not  be  forgiven.  The  fury  of  the  Ottawas 
was  not  slaked  until  they  had  avenged  the  death  of  their 
chief,  through  the  destruction  of  the  powerful  tribes  of 
the  Illinois. 


THE  STORY   OF 

TEGUMSEH 


BY 

FRANCES  M.   PERRY 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 


I.  EARLY  YEARS 

The  great  Indian  leader,  Pontiac,  died  in  1769,  dis 
appointed  in  his  attempt  to  unite  the  Indians  in  a  confed 
eracy  strong  enough  to  withstand  the  white  race.  But 
the  struggle  between  the  red  man  and  the  white  was  not 
ended. 

At  about  the  time  of  the  old  chiefs  death  a  child 
was  born  among  the  Shawnee  Indians  who  was  to  take 
up  the  cause  of  his  people  with  equally  great  courage  and 
intelligence.  This  child  was  called  Tecumseh,  which 
means  shooting-star. 

The  tribe  to  which  Tecumseh  belonged  had  not  yielded 
to  the  temptations  offered  by  the  white  man.  Although 
many  of  the  tribes  north  of  the  Ohio  River,  through  the 
influence  of  alms  and  whisky,  were  fast  losing  their  sav 
age  virtues  and  becoming  spiritless  beggars,  idle, 
drunken,  quarrelsome,  the  Shawnees  were  still  strong 
and  warlike. 

Several  of  the  Shawnee  tribes  lived  together  in  a  large 
village  on  Mad  River,  not  far  from  the  place  where 
Springfield,  Ohio,  now  stands.  There  they  had  built 
for  themselves  rude  huts  made  of  sapling  logs.  Around 
these  lodges,  on  the  fertile  land  along  the  river  were 

117 


Ilg  THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

corn  fields,  where  the  Indian  women  worked  while  the 
men  hunted  or  went  to  war. 

In  this  village,  on  a  bluff  near  the  river,  stood  Tecum- 
seh's  first  home.  His  father  was  chief  of  a  small  tribe 
and  was  highly  respected  for  his  courage  and  good 
sense.  His  mother,  the  daughter  of  a  chief,  was  a  woman 
of  strong  character. 

As  Tecumseh  was  the  son  of  such  worthy  parents, 
and  as  he  was  one  of  three  brothers  born  on  the  same 
day,  he  was  regarded  even  in  babyhood  with  uncommon 
interest.  The  superstitious  Indians  believed  that  the 
three  little  boys  would  become  extraordinary  men.  Two 
of  them,  Tecumseh  and  his  brother,  Laulewasikaw,  ful 
filled  the  largest  expectations  of  their  friends. 

The  child,  Tecumseh,  was  a  bright-eyed,  handsome 
little  fellow,  at  once  winning  and  masterful  in  manner. 
His  favorite  pastime  was  playing  war.  The  boys  he 
played  with  always  made  him  chief  and  were  as  devoted 
to  him  as  ever  Indians  were  to  a  real  chief. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  at  this  time  the  Shawnee  chil 
dren  played  war;  for  their  elders  were  almost  constantly 
fighting  with  the  settlers. 

Tecumseh's  childhood  was  far  from  a  peaceful,  happy 
one.  He  learned  early  the  oppressive  gloom  and  the 
wild  excitement  that  accompany  war.  He  was  called 
upon,  now  to  take  part  in  the  fierce  rejoicing  that  fol 
lowed  an  Indian  victory;  again,  to  join  in  the  mournful 
wailing  of  the  women  when  the  dead  warriors  were 
brought  from  the  battlefield. 


EARLY  YEARS 


But  his  experience  of  war  was  not  limited  to  cele 
brating  and  mourning  distant  victories  and  defeats.  The 
enemy  did  not  spare  the  village  in  which  he  lived.  He 
knew  that  when  the 
braves  were  on  the  war 
path  the  children  must 
stay  near  their  mother's 
lodge.  For,  several 
times  runners  had  come 
in  hot  haste  bidding 
the  squaws  flee  with 
their  pappooses  to  the 
forest  and  hide  there 
till  the  palefaces  had 
passed.  It  made  little 
Tecumseh's  heart  beat 
hard  to  think  of  the  ex 
citement  and  terror  of 
those  days. 

Even  in  time  of  peace  Tecumseh  was  accustomed  to 
suffering  and  discontent.  Food  and  clothing  were  so 
scarce  that  the  Indians  were  often  in  want  of  enough  to 
eat  and  wear.  Children  died  from  the  effects  of  hunger 
and  cold,  and  men  and  women  grew  gaunt  and  stern. 
Frequently  the  hunters  came  home  empty-handed  or 
bringing  only  small  game. 

They  attributed  all  their  troubles  to  the  "Long  Knives," 
as  they  called  the  white  men,  who,  they  said,  had  stolen 
their  hunting  grounds.  So  when  Tecumseh  was  but.  a 


INDIAN  WARRIORS 


120  THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

child  he  hated  the  palefaces,  and  was  glad  when  his 
tribe  made  war  against  them. 

In  1774  the  Ohio  Indians  learned  that  the  Virginians 
were  coming  into  their  country  to  destroy  their  villages. 
Accordingly,  all  able-bodied  warriors  took  up  their  weap 
ons  and  went  with  the  proud  chief,  Cornstalk,  to  meet 
the  enemy.  Tecumseh's  father  and  eldest  brother,  Chee- 
seekau,  were  among  the  number. 

After  anxious  waiting,  those  who  had  stayed  behind 
were  gladdened  by  the  good  news  that  for  the  present 
their  homes  were  safe.  But  many  of  those  homes  had 
been  made  desolate  by  the  battles  waged  in  their  defense. 
Cheeseekau  came  home  from  the  war  alone.  His  father 
had  fallen  in  battle. 

The  mother  and  her  children  ceased  their  wailing  and 
for  the  time  forgot  their  loss,  as  they  sat  by  the  fire 
with  Cheeseekau  and  heard  the  young  warrior  talk  of 
his  first  battle.  He  said  that  he  wished  to  die  on  the 
battlefield,  as  his  father  had  done,  for  an  Indian  could 
hope  for  no  better  end.  He  told  what  a  good  fight  the 
Indians  had  made  and  how  brave  their  leader  had  been. 

"All  over  the  field,"  he  said,  "you  could  hear  Corn 
stalk  shout  to  his  men  'Be  strong !  Be  brave !'  The  war 
riors  had  more  fear  of  Cornstalk's  hatchet  than  of  the 
Long  Knives'  guns.  They  did  not  dare  to  run.  Some 
tried  it.  But  Cornstalk  buried  his  tomahawk  in  the  head 
of  the  first,  and  the  rest  turned  back  to  fight  the  pale 
faces.  When  the  battle  was  over  Cornstalk  called  a 
council  and  said :  'The  palefaces  are  coming  against  us 


EARLY  YEARS  12  T 

in  great  numbers.  We  can  not  drive  them  back.  What 
shall  we  do?  Shall  we  fight  a  while  longer,  kill  a  few 
more  of  them,  and  then  yield?  Shall  we  put  to  death 
our  women  and  children  and  fight  till  we  die  ?'  No  one 
spoke.  Then  he  said :  'I  see  you  will  not  fight.  I  will 
go  and  make  peace  with  the  white  men.'  And  he  made 
us  a  good  peace.  Cornstalk  is  the  greatest  chief  we  have 
had  since  Pontiac." 

Then  followed  stories  of  the  great  Pontiac,  who  had 
tried  to  make  the  Indian  tribes  stop  fighting  with  one 
another  and  unite  their  strength  against  the  white  man. 
Thus,  before  Tecumseh  could  talk  plainly,  he  heard  about 
the  heroes  of  his  race,  and  learned  what  was  expected 
of  a  good  Indian. 

From  this  time  the  youthful  warrior  Cheeseekau  took 
his  father's  place  as  head  of  the  family.  He  not  only 
provided  the  family  with  food  and  clothing,  but  also 
looked  after  the  education  of  his  younger  brothers. 
Tecumseh  was  his  favorite,  and  he  strove  to  teach  him  all 
that  was  needful  to  make  him  a  brave  warrior  and  a  good 
man. 


II.  YOUTH 


During  Tecumseh' s  boyhood  the  Revolutionary  war 
was  being  fought.  The  Indians  took  the  part  of  the 
British.  It  was  natural  that  they  should  feel  a  more 
bitter  hatred  for  the  colonists  who  had  actually  taken 
their  lands  and  fought  against  them,  than  they  had  for 


I22  THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

the  distant  mysterious  "king,"  whom  they  had  been 
taught  to  call  "father,"  and  to  regard  as  a  superior  be 
ing.  Besides,  they  little  doubted  that  the  king  who 
had  already  beaten  the  French  could  subdue  his  own  re 
bellious  subjects.  And  they  looked  forward  to  the 
reward  he  would  give  them  for  their  aid  wrhen  the  war 
was  over. 

The  victories  of  the  colonists  were  familiar  topics 
of  discussion  among  the  Indians.  They  spoke  with  in 
creasing  uneasiness  of  the  deeds  of  Washington,  Put 
nam,  and  Greene.  But  the  name  to  them  more  terrible 
than  all  the  rest  was  that  of  George  Rogers  Clark.  With 
sinking  hearts  they  heard  of  his  victories  on  the  fron 
tier. 

In  the  summer  of  1780  scouts  brought  word  to  the 
Shawnees  on  Mad  River  that  this  dreaded  soldier  was 
approaching  with  his  army.  Though  alarmed,  the  In 
dians  determined  to  do  what  they  could  to  save  the  cab 
ins  and  fort  which  they  had  built  with  much  toil,  and 
the  growing  corn  upon  which  they  depended  for  their 
winter  food. 

Three  hundred  warriors  assembled  in  the  village. 
They  held  a  hurried  council  and  decided  to  advance  to 
meet  Clark's  army  and  surprise  it  with  an  attack  at  day 
break.  But  if  there  was  a  surprise  where  Gen.  Clark  was 
concerned,  he  was  usually  the  man  to  give  it.  Accordingly, 
the  Indians  learned  with  dismay  that  their  plan  could  not 
be  carried  out,  for  General  Clark's  army  by  forced 
marches  had  reached  and  was  already  surrounding  their 


YOUTH 


I23 


village.  The  Indians  had  built  a  fort,  but  now  they  were 
afraid  to  use  it  and  took  refuge  in  their  log  huts. 
They  began  to  cut 
holes  in  the  walls, 
so  that  they  might 
fire  on  the  enemy. 

When  General 
Clark  heard  this,  he 
said :  "  Hold  on  a 
minute,  and  I'll 
make  holes  enough 
for  them."  With 
that  he  ordered  up 
his  cannon  and 
caused  it  to  be  fired 
into  the  village. 

The  Indians 
were  so  terrified 
that  all  who  could 
do  so  fled  into  the 


woods  and  swamps. 

The    rest    fell    an 

easy    prey    to    the 

soldiers,  who  killed 

many     warriors,  GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARK 

made  prisoners  of  the  women  and  children,  burned  the 

houses,  and  cut  down  the  corn. 

Tecumseh  and  his  brothers  were  among  those  who 
escaped  the  sword  of  Clark,  but  they  could  not  forget 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

the  distress  of  their  kindred.  Tecumseh  was  too  young 
to  take  part  in  this  battle.  Although  he  spent  much 
time  in  fighting  sham  battles,  it  was  not  until  six  years 
later  that  he  had  an  opportunity  to  fight  in  a  real  one. 
In  1786  he  and  his  elder  brother  went  out  with  a  band 
of  warriors  to  check  or  drive  back  Captain  Logan,  who 
was  advancing  toward  Mad  River. 

In  an  encounter  near  Dayton  the  boy  was  forced 
for  the  first  time  to  face  a  cavalry  charge.  He  had 
never  imagined  anything  so  terrifying.  He  saw  those 
great,  rushing  horses,  the  cruel  flash  of  steel.  He  forgot 
his  hatred  of  the  white  man,  his  dreams  of  glory.  His 
only  thought  was  to  save  his  life.  He  threw  down  his 
gun  and  ran. 

As  soon  as  he  recovered  from  his  fright  he  felt  very 
much  ashamed  of  his  cowardly  conduct.  He  was  eager 
for  another  opportunity  to  test  his  courage.  Fortunately 
for  him  he  did  not  have  to  wait  long. 

Tecumseh  was  with  a  party  of  Indians  who  at 
tacked  some  flatboats  on  the  Ohio  River.  The  boats 
were  taken  and  all  the  men  in  charge  of  them  were  killed 
except  one,  who  was  made  prisoner. 

This  was  an  important  occasion  in  the  life  of  Tecum 
seh.  He  acted  with  such  daring  and  bravery  that  the 
old  warriors  of  the  party  were  astonished.  From  that 
night  the  Shawnees  spoke  of  Tecumseh  as  a  brave.  Be 
sides  winning  the  good  opinion  of  others,  he  regained  his 
self-respect  and  conquered  fear. 

The   memory   of   this   victory   was   not   pleasant   to 


ADVENTURES  OF  THE  YOUNG  BRAVE 

Tecumseh.  It  was  followed  by  the  burning  of  the  pris 
oner.  Although  the  burning  of  prisoners  was  not  rare 
among  the  Shawnee  Indians  this  was  the  first  time  Tecum 
seh  had  seen  a  man  put  to  death  in  that  barbarous  man 
ner,  and  he  grew  sick  and  faint  with  horror  at  the  sight. 
But  this  time  he  was  terrified  not  for  himself  but  for 
another,  and  he  was  not  ashamed  of  his  feelings. 

Boy  though  he  was,  he  stood  before  the  older  In 
dians  and  told  them  plainly  what  he  thought  of  their 
cruel  act.  He  spoke  with  so  much  power  that  he  made 
all  who  heard  him  feel  as  he  did  about  it.  And  they  all 
agreed  never  again  to  take  part  in  so  inhuman  a  practice. 

On  this  night  Tecumseh  gave  glimpses  of  the  man 
he  was  to  be.  He  proved  his  valor;  he  showed  mercy; 
he  influenced  warriors  by  his  words. 


III.  ADVENTURES  OF  THE  YOUNG  BRAVE 

A  short  time  after  Tecumseh  had  proved  himself 
worthy  to  be  considered  an  Indian  brave,  he  started  with 
his  brother  Cheeseekau  on  a  journey  across  the  woods 
and  prairies  of  Indiana  and  Illinois.  The  brothers  were 
accompanied  by  a  band  of  Kickapoo  Indians.  Such  a 
journey  was  an  important  part  of  the  training  of  young 
warriors. 

The  party  tramped  through  the  country,  courting 
hardships  and  adventure,  getting  acquainted  with  the 
wilderness,  hunting  buffaloes,  visiting  friendly  tribes, 


126  THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

learning  many  languages,  breaking  bread  with  strangers, 
and  visiting  vengeance  on  enemies.  To  fall  upon  the 
defenseless  cabin  of  some  sleeping  frontiersman  and  mur 
der  him  and  his  family  was  in  their  eyes  a  feat  to 
boast  of. 

But  their  warlike  exploits  were  not  confined  to  attacks 
on  the  white  settlers.  If  they  found  friendly  tribes  at 
war  with  other  tribes  they  joined  them.  In  one  of  these 
battles  Cheeseekau  met  his  death,  singing  and  rejoicing 
that  it  was  his  lot  to  fall  like  a  warrior  on  the  field  of 
battle.  This  young  man  is  said  to  have  had  a  vision 
that  he  should  die.  Before  going  into  battle  he  made  a 
formal  speech,  telling  his  friends  that  he  would  be  shot 
in  the  forehead  in  the  thick  of  the  fight,  and  his  prophecy 
was  fulfilled. 

After  Cheeseekau' s  death  Tecumseh  took  his  place  as 
leader  of  the  company  and  continued  his  wanderings  to 
the  South.  There  he  made  many  friends  and  had  nu 
merous  stirring  adventures.  One  evening  just  as  he 
and  his  eight  followers  were  about  to  go  to  bed  their 
camp  was  attacked  by  thirty  white  men.  Tecumseh 
ordered  his  frightened  comrades  to  follow  him  and 
rushed  upon  the  enemy  with  such  spirit  and  force  that  his 
little  company  killed  two  of  the  assailants  and  frightened 
the  rest  away. 

Tecumseh  returned  to  Ohio  after  an  absence  of  three 
years.  He  discovered  that  it  is  not  always  necessary  to 
go  away  from  home  to  find  adventures.  His  friends  and 
neighbors  were  greatly  excited  about  a  victory  which 


ADVENTURES  OF  THE  YOUNG  BRAVE  I2j 

they  had  just  gained  over  the  United  States  troops  under 
General  Harmer. 

The  next  year,  1791,  the  new  republic  sent  General 
St.  Clair  with  a  large  army  into  the  Indian  country. 
Tecumseh's  recent  expedition  had  fitted  him  to  be  a  good 
scout,  and  he  was  therefore  sent  out  to  watch  the  move 
ments  of  St.  Glair's  troops.  While  he  was  employed 
scouting,  the  main  body  of  Indians  fell  suddenly  upon 
St.  Glair's  troops  and  completely  routed  them.  During 
the  next  few  years  there  was  no  lack  of  opportunity  for 
the  Shawnees  to  indulge  their  love  of  battle;  for  Gen 
eral  Wayne,  "Mad  Anthony  Wayne,"  as  he  was  called, 
proved  a  more  formidable  foe  than  had  General  St. 
Clair.  Tecumseh's  reputation  as  a  warrior  was  soon 
firmly  established. 

He  was  equally  noted  as  a  hunter.  Though  he  had 
long  been'pointed  out  as  one  of  the  best  Shawnee  hunters, 
many  young  men  had  claimed  as  great  success  as  he.  At 
length  some  one  suggested  a  way  to  decide  who  was  the 
ablest  hunter. 

"Let  us,"  said  he,  "each  go  alone  into  the  forest,  for 
three  days,  to  hunt  the  deer,  and  the  one  who  brings  home 
the  largest  number  of  deer  skins  shall  be  considered  the 
greatest  hunter." 

All  agreed  to  this  test,  and  several  noted  hunters 
started  out.  After  three  days  each  returned  bearing  the 
evidence  of  his  skill  as  a  hunter.  Some  proudly  dis 
played  ten  skins,  some  twelve.  Last  of  all  came  Tecum- 
seh  with  thirty-five  deer  skins.  Then  the  other  Indians 


128  THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

stopped  boasting,  and  declared  Tecumseh  the  greatest 
hunter  of  the  Shawnee  nation.  Tecumseh  was  a  generous 
hunter  as  well  as  a  skillful  one.  He  made  it  his  business 
to  provide  many  who  were  old  or  sick  with  meat  and 
skins. 

Among  the  Indians  the  hero  was  the  man  who  could 
do  most  to  help  his  tribe.  He  could  do  that  by  hunting, 
to  supply  its  members  with  food  and  clothing,  by  speak 
ing  wisely  in  council,  to  lead  them  to  act  for  their  highest 
welfare,  and  by  fighting  to  defend  their  rights  or  avenge 
their  wrongs.  A  brave  who  could  do  all  this  was  worthy 
of  being  a  chief,  even  if  he  was  not  the  eldest  son  of  a 
chief. 

Tecumseh  had  shown  that  he  could  hunt,  that  he 
could  speak  in  council,  that  he  could  fight.  He  had 
therefore  all  the  requirements  for  a  chief.  Moreover, 
he  had  great  influence  with  the  young  men  of  the  neigh 
boring  tribes. 


IV.  TECUMSEH  DISSATISFIED 

The  suffering  among  the  Indians  was  so  great  be 
cause  of  the  ceaseless  war  they  had  carried  on  against 
the  white  people,  that  in  1795  many  of  the  tribes  were 
ready  to  accept  the  terms  of  peace  offered  by  the  United 
States  government. 

Accordingly,  in  June  a  treaty  was  made  at  Green 
ville,  Ohio.  The  Indians  promised  to  give  up  all  claim 
to  many  thousand  acres  of  land  in  the  Northwest  Terri- 


TECUMSEH  DISSATISFIED 

tory,  to  live  at  peace  with  the  white  settlers  occupying 
the  land,  to  notify  them  of  the  hostile  plans  of  other  tribes, 
to  surrender  whatever  prisoners  they  had,  to  give  up 
evil  doers  for  trial,  to  protect  travelers  and  traders,  and 
to  recognize  no  "father"  but  the  President  of  the  United 
States. 

In  return  for  all  this  the  national  government  pledged 
itself  to  give  the  Indians  a  yearly  "present"  of  food, 
blankets,  powder,  and  other  necessities,  to  respect  the 
boundary  lines  and  prevent  settlers  from  hunting  or 
intruding  on  Indian  lands,  and  to  punish  white  men  who 
were  found  guilty  of  robbing  or  murdering  Indians. 

Tecumseh  would  not  attend  the  council  at  which  the 
treaty  was  made.  Much  as  he  felt  the  need  of  peace  he 
was  unwilling  to  pay  for  it  a  price  which  he  thought  the 
white  man  had  no  right  to  ask.  He  was  unwilling  to 
give  up  the  lands  which  the  Great  Spirit  had  allotted  to 
the  Indians,  and  which  were  necessary  to  their  very  ex 
istence. 

He  foresaw  that  in  the  years  of  peace  to  which  the 
Indians  had  pledged  themselves,  white  men  without  num 
ber  would  come  to  make  their  homes  in  the  fertile  lands 
secured  by  the  treaty.  He  foresaw  that  while  the  settle 
ments  flourished  the  tribes  would  become  more  and  more 
dependent  and  submissive  to  the  will  of  their  civilized 
neighbors. 

The  injurious  effect  of  civilization  upon  the  Indian 
tribes  was  only  too  evident  to  all.  The  Superintendent  of 
Indian  Affairs  later  wrote  to  President  Jefferson :  "I  can 

FOUR  IND. — 9 


1 3o 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 


tell  at  once  upon  looking  at  an  Indian  whom  I  may  chance 
to  meet  whether  he  belongs  to  a  neighboring  or  to  a 
more  distant  tribe.  The  latter  is  generally  well-clothed, 
healthy,  and  vigorous ;  the  former,  half-naked,  filthy,  and 
enfeebled  by  intoxication,  and  many  of  them  are  without 
arms  excepting  a  knife,  which  they  carry  for  the  most 
villainous  purposes." 

What  wonder  that  the  patri©tic  Tecumseh  refused  to 
sanction  a  treaty  which  he  considered  a  step  toward  the 
downfall  of  his  race !  He  remembered  the  dead  hero  Pon 
tiac,  and  wished  that  the  red  men  had  such  a  chieftain  to 
unite  them  and  rouse  their  manhood.  He  determined 
henceforth  to  take  Pontiac  for  his  model  and  to  do  what 
he  could  to  unite  his  people  and  prepare  them  to  resist 
the  next  attempt  of  the  palefaces  to  take  the  land  of  the 
redskins.  With  this  idea  in  view  he  used  his  influence 
to  collect  from  various  tribes  a  band  of  followers,  who 
made  him  their  chief. 

The  new  chief  was  not  an  unworthy  successor  of  the 
great  Pontiac.  Though  living  at  a  time  when  the  In 
dians  were  beginning  to  lose  much  of  their  native  vigor 
and  virtue,  Tecumseh  had  grown  to  be  one  of  the  most 
princely  red  men  we  know  anything  about. 

His  appearance  was  dignified  and  pleasing.  Colonel 
W.  S.  Hatch  gave  the  following  picturesque  description 
of  him:  "His  height  was  about  five  feet  nine  inches; 
his  face,  oval  rather  than  angular;  his  mouth,  beauti 
fully  formed,  like  that  of  Napoleon  I.,  as  represented  in 
his  portraits;  his  eyes,  clear,  transparent  hazel,  with  a 


TECUMSEH  DISSATISFIED 


mild,  pleasant  expression  when  in  repose,  or  in  conversa 
tion;  but  when  excited  in  his  orations  or  by  the  enthu 
siasm  of  conflict,  or  when  in  anger,  they  appeared  like 
balls  of  fire;  his  teeth,  beautifully  white,  and  his  com 
plexion  more  of  a  light 
brown  or  tan  than  red ; 
his  whole  tribe,  as  well 
as  their  kindred,  the  Ot- 
tawas,  had  light  com 
plexions;  his  arms  and 
hands  were  finely 
formed ;  his  limbs 
straight ;  he  always  stood 
very  erect,  and  walked 
with  a  brisk,  elastic,  vig 
orous  step.  He  invari 
ably  dressed  in  Indian 
tanned  buckskin;  a  per 
fectly  well-fitting  hunt 
ing  frock  descending  to 
the  knee  was  over  his  un 
derclothes  of  the  same 
material;  the  usual  cape 
with  finish  of  leather 
fringe  about  the  neck, 
cape,  edges  of  the  front  opening,  and  bottom  of  the  frock; 
a  belt  of  the  same  material,  in  which  were  his  sidearms 
(an  elegant  silver-mounted  tomahawk  and  a  knife  in  a 
strong  leather  case)  ;  short  pantaloons,  connected  with 


TECUMSEH 


1 32 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 


neatly  fitting  leggings  and  moccasins,  with  a  mantle  of 
the  same  material  thrown  over  his  left  shoulder,  used  as 
a  blanket  in  camp,  and  as  a  protection  in  storms." 

Tecumseh's  character  was  not  that  of  the  typical  In 
dian,  because  it  was  broader.  The  virtues  that  most 
Indians  exercise  only  in  the  family,  or,  at  best,  in  the 
tribe,  he  practised  toward  his  entire  race,  and,  to  some 
extent,  toward  all  mankind.  He  once  said :  "My  tribe 
is  nothing  to  me;  my  race,  everything/'  His  hatred 
of  the  white  man  was  general,  not  personal.  Able,  brave 
men,  whether  red  or  white,  he  respected  and  admired. 
While  most  Indians  thought  it  necessary  to  be  truthful 
to  friends  only,  Tecumseh  was  honest  in  his  dealings 
with  his  enemies.  He  often  set  white  men  an  example 
of  mercy. 

An  amusing  story  is  told  of  him,  which  shows  how 
kindly  tolerant  he  was  where  he  could  feel  nothing  but 
contempt  for  a  man :  One  evening  on  entering  the  house 
of  a  white  man  with  whom  he  was  acquainted,  Tecumseh 
found  a  gigantic  stranger  there,  who  was  so  badly  fright 
ened  at  sight  of  him  that  he  took  refuge  behind  the  other 
men  in  the  room,  begging  them  to  save  him.  Tecumseh 
stood  a  moment  sternly  watching  the  great  fellow. 
Then  he  went  up  and  patted  the  cowering  creature  on 
the  shoulder,  saying  good  naturedly,  "Big  baby;  big 
baby!" 

In  1804  and  1805,  before  the  new  chief  was  ready 
for  decided  action,  Governor  Harrison,  of  Indiana  Ter 
ritory,  made  additional  treaties  with  a  few  weak  and 


TECUMSEH'S  BROTHER,  THE  PROPHET 


133 


submissive  tribes,  by  which  he  laid  claim  to  more  land. 
This  measure  aroused  such  general  indignation  among  the 
more  hardy  and  warlike  Indians  that  Tecumseh  felt  the 
time  had  come  when  he  might  win  them  to  support  his 
cherished  plan  of  united  opposition  to  the  whites. 


V.  TECUMSEH'S  BROTHER,  THE  PROPHET 

Tecumseh  had  not  been  alone  in  his  anxiety  for  the 
future  of  his  race.  After  the  death  of  his  elder  brother 
he  had  made  his  twin  brother,  Laulewasikaw,  his  trusted 
comrade.  Together  they  had 
talked  over  the  decay  in  power 
and  manliness  that  was  swiftly 
overtaking  the  tribes,  and  the 
wrongs  the  red  men  suffered 
at  the  hands  of  the  white. 
They  had  not  spent  their 
strength  in  useless  murmur- 
ings,  but  had  analyzed  the 
causes  of  trouble  and  decided 
how  they  might  be  removed. 

One  day  after  brooding 
deeply  over  these  matters  Laulewasikaw  fell  upon  the 
earth  in  a  swoon.  For  a  long  time  he  lay  quite  stiff 
and  rigid,  and  those  who  saw  him  thought  he  was  dead. 
But  by  and  by  he  gave  a  deep  moan  and  opened  his  eyes. 
For  a  moment  he  looked  about  as  if  he  did  not  know 


THE  PROPHET 


134 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 


where  he  was.  On  coming  to  his  senses  he  explained  to 
his  friends  that  he  had  had  a  vision  in  which  he  had 
seen  the  Great  Spirit,  who  had  told  him  what  to  do  to 
save  the  Indian  people  from  destruction. 

From  that  time  he  styled  himself  "Prophet"  and 
claimed  to  act  under  the  direction  of  the  Great  Spirit. 
He  changed  his  name  to  Tenskwatawa  to  signify  that  he 
was  the  "Open  Door,"  through  which  all  might  learn 
the  will  of  the  Great  Spirit. 

Though  professing  to  have  supernatural  power  him 
self,  Tenskwatawa  realized  the  degrading  effect  of  petty 
superstition  and  the  terror  and  injury  the  medicine 
men  were  able  to  bring  upon  the  simple-minded  Indians 
who  believed  in  their  charms  and  spells.  He  denounced 
the  practice  of  sorcery  and  witchcraft  as  against  the  will 
of  the  Great  Spirit. 

Many  of  the  Prophet's  teachings  were  such  as  we 
should  all  approve  of.  Wishing  to  purify  the  individual 
and  family  life  of  the  Indians,  he  forbade  men  to  marry 
more  than  one  wife,  and  commanded  them  to  take  care 
of  their  families  and  to  provide  for  those  who  were  old 
and  sick.  He  required  them  to  work,  to  till  the  ground 
and  raise  corn,  and  to  hunt. 

Some  of  his  teachings  were  intended  to  make  the 
Indians  as  a  people  independent  of  the  white  race.  The 
Great  Spirit,  said  Tenskwatawa,  had  made  the  Indians  to 
be  a  single  people,  quite  distinct  from  the  white  men  and 
for  different  purposes.  The  tribes  must  therefore  stop 
fighting  with  one  another  and  must  unite  and  live  peace- 


TECUMSEH'S  BROTHER,  THE  PROPHET 

ably  together  as  one  tribe.  They  must  not  fight  with  the 
white  men,  either  Americans  or  British.  Neither  must 
they  intermarry  with  them  or  adopt  their  customs.  The 
Great  Spirit  wished  his  red  children  to  throw  aside  the 
garments  of  cotton  and  wool  they  had  borrowed  from  the 
whites  and  clothe  themselves  in  the  skins  of  wild  animals ; 
he  wished  them  to  stop  feeding  on  pork  and  beef,  and 
bread  made  from  wheat,  and  instead  to  eat  the  flesh  of 
the  wild  deer  and  the  bison,  which  he  had  provided  for 
them,  and  bread  made  from  Indian  corn.  Above  all, 
they  must  let  alone  whisky  which  might  do  well  enough 
for  white  men,  but  was  never  intended  for  Indians. 

Furthermore,  Tenskwatawa  taught  the  Indians  that 
a  tribe  had  no  right  to  sell  the  land  it  lived  on.  The 
Great  Spirit  had  given  the  red  people  the  land  that  they 
might  enjoy  it  in  common,  just  as  they  did  the  light  and 
the  air.  He  did  not  wish  them  to  measure  it  off  and 
build  fences  around  it.  Since  no  one  chief  or  tribe 
owned  the  land,  no  single  chief  or  tribe  could  sell  it. 
No  Indian  territory  therefore  could  be  sold  to  the  white 
men  without  the  consent  of  all  tribes  and  all  Indians. 

The  words  of  the  Prophet  were  eagerly  listened 
to.  Indians  came  from  far  and  near  to  hear  him.  Some 
were  so  excited  by  what  he  said  against  witchcraft  that 
they  put  to  death  those  who  persisted  in  using  charms  and 
pronouncing  incantations. 

The  sayings  and  doings  of  the  Shawnee  Prophet  soon 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  Governor  of  Indiana  Terri 
tory.  Pity  for  the  victims  of  the  Prophet's  misguided 


i36 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 


I 


zeal,  and  alarm  because  of  the  influence  Tenskwatawa 
seemed  to  be  gaining-,  led  Governor  William  Henry  Har 
rison  to  take  measures  to  check  the  popularity  of  a  man 
who  seemed  to  be  a  fraud  and  a  mischief-maker.  He 
sent  to  the  Delaware  Indians  the  following  "speech" : 

"My  Chil 
dren  :  My  heart 
is  filled  with 
grief,  and  my 
eyes  are  dis 
solved  in  tears 
at  the  news 
which  has 
reached  me.  * 
*  *  Who  is 
this  pretended 
prophet  who 
dares  to  speak 
in  the  name  of 
the  Great  Crea 
tor  ?  Examine 
him.  Is  he 
more  wise  and 
virtuous  than 
you  are  your 
selves,  that  he  should  be  selected  to  convey  to  you 
the  orders  of  your  God?  Demand  of  him  some  proofs 
at  least  of  his  being  the  messenger  of  the  Deity.  If 
God  has  really  employed  him,  He  has  doubtless  authorized 


ECLIPSE   OF   THE   SUN 


GREENVILLE  137 

him  to  perform  miracles,  that  he  may  be  known  and  re 
ceived  as  a  prophet.  If  he  is  really  a  prophet,  ask  him 
to  cause  the  sun  to  stand  still,  the  moon  to  alter  its  course, 
the  rivers  to  cease  to  flow,  or  the  dead  to  rise  from  their 
graves.  If  he  does  these  things  you  may  believe  that 
he  has  been  sent  from  God.  He  tells  you  that  the  Great 
Spirit  commands  you  to  punish  with  death  those  who 
deal  in  magic,  and  that  he  is  authorized  to  point  them 
out.  Wretched  delusion!  Is,  then,  the  Master  of  Life 
obliged  to  employ  mortal  man  to  punish  those  who  offend 
Him?  *  *  *  Clear  your  eyes,  I  beseech  you,  from 
the  mist  which  surrounds  them.  No  longer  be  imposed 
on  by  the  arts  of  the  impostor.  Drive  him  from  your 
town  and  let  peace  and  harmony  prevail  amongst  you." 
This  letter  increased  rather  than  diminished  the  influ 
ence  of  the  Prophet.  He  met  the  Governor's  doubt  of 
his  power  with  fine  scorn  and  named  a  day  on  which  he 
would  "put  the  sun  under  his  feet."  Strange  to  say,  on 
the  day  named  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  occurred,  and  the 
afftrighted  savages  quaked  with  fear  and  thought  it  was 
all  the  work  of  Tenskwatawa. 


VI.  GREENVILLE 

Tenskwatawa  met  with  strong  opposition  from  some 
of  the  Indians.  The  small  chiefs  especially  were  dis 
pleased  with  the  idea  that  the  tribes  should  unite  to  form 
one  people,  as  that  would  take  away  their  own  power. 


138  THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

They,  therefore,  heard  the  Prophet  with  anger,  and  car 
ried  away  an  evil  report  of  him. 

Still,  many  believed  all  that  he  said,  and  wished  to 
gain  the  good  will  of  the  Great  Spirit  by  doing  his  bid 
ding.  They  were  willing  to  leave  their  tribes  to  follow 
the  Prophet.  So  it  happened  that  in  1806  Tenskwatawa 
and  Tecumseh  with  their  followers  established  a  town  at 
Greenville,  Ohio.  There  all  lived  in  accordance  with 
the  Prophet's  teachings.  They  strengthened  their  bodies 
by  running  and  swimming  and  wrestling.  They  lived  at 
peace  without  drunkenness.  They  minded  their  own 
affairs.  Now,  all  this  was  just  what  President  Jefferson, 
the  Indians'  friend,  had  often  advised  the  red  men  to  do. 

Yet  the  white  neighbors  were  greatly  disturbed  and 
wished  to  break  up  the  Prophet's  town.  In  the  first 
place  the  town  was  on  land  that  had  been  ceded  to  the 
United  States,  or  the  Seventeen  Fires  (as  the  Indians 
picturesquely  named  the  new  nation),  by  the  treaty  of 
Greenville.  Then,  the  visiting  Indians  who  came  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  to  hear  the  words  of  the  Prophet 
were  a  constant  source  of  alarm  to  the  border  settlers. 
And,  although  he  professed  to  preach  peace,  the  Prophet 
was  believed  by  many  to  be  preparing  secretly  for  war. 

Besides,  innocent  as  most  of  his  teachings  appeared, 
those  regarding  property  rights  were  hostile  to  the  white 
race  and  decidedly  annoying  to  the  men  who  coveted 
the  hunting  grounds  of  the  savages.  The  United  States 
government  in  acquiring  land  from  the  Indians  had 
usually  proceeded  as  if  it  were  the  property  of  the  tribe 


GREENVILLE 

that  camped  or  hunted  upon  it.  The  Indian  Commission- 1 
ers  had  had  little  difficulty  in  gaining  rich  tracts  of  land 
from  weak  tribes,  at  comparatively  little  expense,  by  this 
method.  When  it  came  to  a  question  of  land,  even  Jef 
ferson  had  little  sympathy  for  the  Indians.  He  had  not 
scrupled  to  advise  his  agent  to  encourage  chiefs  to  get 
into  debt  at  the  trading  posts,  so  that  when  hard  pressed 
for  money  they  might  be  persuaded  to  part  with  the  lands 
of  their  tribes. 

Now  Tecumseh  had  seen  that  the  whole  struggle  be 
tween  the  red  men  and  the  white  was  a  question  of  land. 
If  the  white  men  were  kind  to  the  Indians  and  came 
among  them  with  fair  promises  and  goodly  presents,  their 
object  was  to  get  land.  If  they  came  with  threats  and 
the  sword,  their  object  was,  still,  to  get  .land.  They 
needed  the  land.  They  could  not  grow  and  prosper 
without  it.  But  if  the  white  men  needed  land  in  order 
to  live  how  much  more  did  the  Indians  need  it !  Where 
a  few  acres  of  farm  land  would  give  a  white  family 
comfortable  support,  many  acres  were  needed  to  support 
an  Indian  family  by  the  chase.  Tecumseh  argued  in  this 
way :  The  Seventeen  -Fires  unite  to  get  our  lands  from 
us.  Let  us  follow  their  example.  Let  us  unite  to  hold 
our  lands.  Let  us  keep  at  peace  with  them  and  do  them 
no  harm.  Let  us  give  them  no  reason  to  fight  with  us 
and  take  our  land  in  battle.  When  they  offer  to  buy  we 
will  refuse  to  sell.  If  they  try  to  force  us  to  part  with 
our  lands  we  will  stand  together  and  resist  them  like 
men. 


140  THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

He  heartily  agreed  with  his  brother's  teachings  con 
cerning  property  rights,  and  possibly  suggested  many 
ideas  that  Tenskwatawa  fancied  he  received  from  the 
Great  Spirit.  Certain  it  is  that  Tecumseh  had  long  held 
similar  views  and  had  done  his  best  to  spread  them.  Al 
though  Tenskwatawa  was  more  conspicuous  than  Tecum 
seh,  the  latter  had  the  stronger  character.  For  a  time  he 
kept  in  the  background  and  let  his  brother  do  the  talking, 
but  his  personal  influence  had  much  to  do  with  giving 
weight  to  the  Prophet's  words. 

The  brothers  had  not  been  at  Greenville  long  before 
they  were  summoned  to  Fort  Wayne  by  the  commandant 
there  to  hear  a  letter  from  their  "father,"  the  President 
of  the  Seventeen  Fires.  Tecumseh  refused  to  go.  He 
demanded  that  the  letter  be  brought  to  him.  This  put 
the  officer  in  a  trying  position,  but  there  was  nothing  left 
for  him  to  do  but  send  the  letter  to  Greenville.  It  proved 
to  be  a  request  that  the  Prophet  move  his  towft  beyond 
the  boundaries  of  the  territory  owned  by  the  United 
States.  The  letter  was  courteous,  and  offered  the  Indians 
assistance  to  move  and  build  new  homes. 

To  the  President's  request  Tecumseh  sent  a  decided 
refusal.  He  said :  "These  lands  are  ours ;  we  were  the 
first  owners ;  no  one  has  the  right  to  move  us.  The  Great 
Spirit  appointed  this  place  for  us  to  light  our  fires  and 
here  we  will  stay." 

The  settlement  continued  to  be  a  source  of  annoy 
ance  to  the  government.  Indians  kept  coming  from  dis 
tant  regions  to  visit  the  Prophet.  Rumor  said  that  the 


GREENVILLE  I4I 

brothers  were  working  under  the  direction  of  British 
agents,  who  were  trying  to  rouse  the  Indians  to  make  war 
on  the  United  States. 

To  counteract  the  British  influence  the  Governor  of 
Ohio  sent  a  message  to  Greenville.  At  a  council  called 
to  consider  the  Governor's  letter,  the  chief,  Blue  Jacket, 
and  the  Prophet  made  speeches  in  which  they  declared 
their  wish  to  remain  at  peace  with  the  British  and  the 
Long  Knives,  as  they  called  the  settlers. 

Tecumseh  accompanied  the  commissioners  on  their 
return  and  held  a  conference  with  the  Governor  of  Ohio. 
He  spoke  plainly,  saying  the  Indians  had  little  cause  for 
friendliness  to  either  the  British  or  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  both  of  whom  had  robbed  them  of  their 
lands  by  making  unjust  treaties.  But  he  assured  the 
governor  that  for  their  own  sake  the  Indians  wished 
to  remain  at  peace  with  both  nations. 

The  Governor,  like  all  who  heard  Tecumseh  speak, 
was  impressed  with  his  sense  and  honesty,  and  believed 
that  the  Indians  were  not  planning  war. 

A  little  later  Tecumseh  was  again  called  to  Springfield 
to  attend  a  large  council  of  Indians  and  white  men.  The 
council  was  held  to  determine  who  was  responsible  for 
the  murder  of  a  white  man,  who  had  been  found  dead  not 
far  from  Springfield.  On  this  occasion  Tecumseh  at 
tracted  much  attention.  In  the  first  place  he  refused  to 
give  up  his  arms,  and  entered  the  council  with  the  dignity 
of  manner  and  the  arms  of  a  warrior. 

He  made  a  speech  of  such  passion  and  eloquence 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

that  the  interpreter  was  unable  to  keep  up  with  him  or 
translate  his  ideas.  The  white  men  were  left  to  guess 
his  meaning  by  watching  his  wrathful  face  and  the  ex 
citement  of  his  hearers.  The  Indians,  however,  under 
stood  him  perfectly,  and  when  the  council  was  over  and 
they  went  to  their  homes  all  repeated  what  they  could  re 
member  of  the  wonderful  speech. 

The  influence  of  Tenskwatawa  and  Tecumseh  in 
creased.  The  excitement  among  the  Indians  became  more 
general.  Governor  Harrison  again  wrote  to  the  Shawnee 
tribes.  He  began  by  reminding  them  of  the  treaties  be 
tween  the  Indians  and  the  people  of  the  United  States : 

"  My  children,  listen  to  me.  I  speak  in  the  name  of 
your  father,  the  great  chief  of  the  Seventeen  Fires. 

"  My  children,  it  is  now  twelve  years  since  the  toma 
hawk,  which  you  had  raised  by  the  advice  of  your  father, 
the  King  of  Great  Britain,  was  buried  at  Greenville,  in 
the  presence  of  that  great  warrior,  General  Wayne. 

"  My  children,  you  then  promised,  and  the  Great 
Spirit  heard  it,  that  you  would  in  future  live  in  peace  and 
friendship  with  your  brothers,  the  Americans.  You  made 
a  treaty  with  your  father,  and  one  that  contained  a 
number  of  good  things,  equally  beneficial  to  all  the  tribes 
of  red  people  who  were  parties  to  it. 

"  My  children,  you  promised  in  that  treaty  to  acknowl 
edge  no  other  father  than  the  chief  of  the  Seventeen  Fires, 
and  never  to  listen  to  the  proposition  of  any  foreign  na 
tion.  You  promised  never  to  lift  up  the  tomahawk 
against  any  of  your  father's  children,  and  to  give  notice 


GREENVILLE 

of  any  other  tribe  that  intended  it.  Your  father  also 
promised  to  do  something  for  you,  particularly  to  deliver 
to  you  every  year  a  certain  quantity  of  goods,  to  prevent 
any  white  man  from  settling  on  your  lands  without  your 
consent,  or  from  doing  you  any  personal  injury.  He 
promised  to  run  a  line  between  your  land  and  his,  so  that 
you  might  know  your  own ;  and  you  were  to  be  permitted 
to  live  and  hunt  upon  your  father's  land  as  long  as  you 
behaved  yourselves  well.  My  children,  which  of  these 
articles  has  your  father  broken  ?  You  know  tHat  he  has 
observed  them  all  with  the  utmost  good  faith.  But,  my 
children,  have  you  done  so?  Have  you  not  always  had 
your  ears  open  to  receive  bad  advice  from  the  white  people 
beyond  the  lakes  ?" 

Although  Governor  Harrison  writes  in  this  letter  as 
if  he  thought  the  white  men  had  kept  their  part  of  the 
treaty,  he  had  written  quite  differently  to  President  Jeffer 
son,  telling  him  how  the  settlers  were  continually  violat 
ing  the  treaty  by  hunting  on  Indian  territory  and  report 
ing  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  Indians  to  get  justice 
when  their  kinsmen  were  murdered  by  white  men;  for 
even  if  a  murderer  was  brought  to  trial  no  jury  of  white 
men  would  pronounce  the  murderer  of  an  Indian  guilty. 
"All  these  injuries  the  Indians  have  hitherto  borne  with 
astonishing  patience."  Thus  Mr.  Harrison  had  written  to 
the  President,  but  it  was  evidently  his  policy  to  try  to 
make  the  Indians  think  they  had  no  cause  for  complaint. 
In  his  letter  to  the  Shawnees  he  went  on  to  say : 

"My  children,  I  have  heard  bad  news.      The  sacred 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

spot  where  the  great  council  fire  was  kindled,  around 
which  the  Seventeen  Fires  and  ten  tribes  of  their  chil 
dren  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace — that  very  spot  where 
the  Great  Spirit  saw  his  red  and  white  children  encircle 
themselves  with  the  chain  of  friendship — that  place  has 
been  selected  for  dark  and  bloody  councils. 

"My  children,  this  business  must  be  stopped.  You 
have  called  in  a  number  of  men  from  the  most  distant 
tribes  to  listen  to  a  fool,  who  speaks  not  the  words  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  but  those  of  the  devil  and  of  the  British 
agents.  My  children,  your  conduct  has  much  alarmed 
the  white  settlers  near  you.  They  desire  that  you  will 
send  away  those  people,  and  if  they  wish  to  have  the 
impostor  with  them  they  can  carry  him.  Let  him  go  to 
the  lakes ;  he  can  hear  the  British  more  distinctly." 

To  this  letter  the  Prophet  sent  a  dignified  answer, 
denying  the  charges  the  Governor  had  made.  He  spoke 
with  regret  rather  than  anger,  and  said  that  "his  father 
(the  Governor)  had  been  listening  to  evil  birds." 


VII.  THE  PROPHET'S  TOWN 

In  1808  Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet  moved  with  their 
followers  to  the  Wabash  Valley,  and  established  on  the 
Tippecanoe  River  a  village  known  as  the  Prophet's  Town. 

Several  advantages  were  to  be  gained  by  moving 
from  Greenville  to  Tippecanoe,  all  of  which  probably  had 
their  weight  in  influencing  the  brothers  to  make  this 


THE  PROPHET'S  TOWN  145 

change.  In  the  first  place,  there  seems  to  be  little  doubt 
that  Tecumseh  wanted  peace,  at  least  until  he  had  built 
up  a  confederacy  strong  enough  to  fight  the  Americans 
with  some  hope  of  success.  At  Greenville  the  Indians 
were  so  near  the  settlers  that  there  was  constant  danger 
of  trouble  between  them.  And  Tecumseh  realized  that 
any  wrong  done  by  his  people  might  be  made  an  excuse 
for  the  government  to  take  more  lands  from  the  In 
dians. 

Then,  too,  this  redskinned  statesman  realized  in  his 
way  that  the  best  way  to  prevent  war  was  to  be  ready  for 
it.  He  wished  his  people  to  be  independent  of  the  whites 
for  their  livelihood.  The  Wabash  Valley  offered  the 
richest  hunting  grounds  between  the  Lakes  and  the  Ohio. 
Here  they  need  not  starve  should  they  be  denied  aid  by 
the  United  States  government. 

The  location  of  the  new  village  had  further  political 
value.  It  was  in  the  center  of  a  district  where  many 
tribes  camped,  over  which  the  brothers  wished  to  extend 
their  influence.  From  the  new  town  communication  with 
the  British  could  be  more  easily  carried  on.  This  was 
important  in  view  of  the  troubled  relations  existing  be 
tween  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain.  Tecumseh 
was  shrewd  enough  to  see  that  though  under  ordinary 
circumstances  the  Indians  were  not  sufficiently  strong 
to  be  very  formidable  to  the  United  States  government, 
their  friendship  or  enmity  would  be  an  important  consid 
eration  in  the  war  that  threatened.  And  he  hoped  that 
the  Long  Knives'  anxiety  lest  they  should  join  the  British 

FOUR  IND. — 10 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

would  prevent  their  doing  anything  to  gain  the  ill  will 
of  the  Indians, 

The  brothers  wished  Governor  Harrison  to  understand 
that  their  desire  was  for  peace,  and  that  they  did  not 
intend  to  make  war  unless  driven  to  do  so.  Accord 
ingly,  in  August,  Tenskwatawa,  with  a  band  of  followers, 
made  the  Governor  a  visit.  The  Indians  stayed  at  Vin- 
cennes  for  about  two  weeks.  Harrison  was  surprised  to 
find  the  Prophet  an  intelligent  and  gifted  man.  He  tested 
the  sincerity  of  the  Prophet's  followers  by  questions 
as  to  their  belief  and  by  putting  in  their  way  opportuni 
ties  to  drink  whisky.  He  was  again  surprised  to  find 
them  very  earnest  in  their  faith  and  able  to  resist  the 
fire  water.  In  Tenskwatawa's  farewell  speech  to  Harri 
son,  he  said : 

"Father :  It  is  three  years  since  I  first  began  that 
system  of  religion  which  I  now  practice.  The  white 
people  and  some  of  the  Indians  were  against  me,  but 
I  had  no  other  intention  but  to  introduce  among  the 
Indians  those  good  principles  of  religion  which  the  white 
people  profess.  I  was  spoken  badly  of  by  the  white  peo 
ple,  who  reproached  me  with  misleading  the  Indians,  but 
I  defy  them  to  say  that  I  did  anything  amiss.  *  *  * 

"The  Great  Spirit  told  me  to  tell  the  Indians  that 
he  had  made  them,  and  made  the  world — that  he  had 
placed  them  on  it  to  do  good  and  not  evil. 

"I  told  all  the  redskins  that  the  way  they  were  in  was 
not  good  and  they  ought  to  abandon  it;  that  we  ought 
to  consider  ourselves  as  one  man,  but  we  ought  to  live 


THE  PROPHET'S  TOWN  147 

according  to  our  customs,  the  red  people  after  their 
fashion  and  the  white  people  after  theirs;  particularly 
that  they  should  not  drink  whisky ;  that  it  was  not  made 
for  them,  but  for  the  white  people  who  knew  how  to  use 
it,  and  that  it  is  the  cause  of  all  the  mischiefs  which 
the  Indians  suffer,  and  that  we  must  follow  the  direc 
tions  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  listen  to  Him,  as  it  was 
He  who  made  us ;  determine  to  listen  to  nothing  that  is 
bad;  do  not  take  up  the  tomahawk  should  it  be  offered 
by  the  British  or  by  the  Long  Knives ;  do  not  meddle  with 
anything  that  does  not  belong  to  you,  but  mind  your 
own  business  and  cultivate  the  ground,  that  your  women 
and  children  may  have  enough  to  live  on. 

"I  now  inform  you  that  it  is  our  intention  to  live 
in  peace  with  our  father  and  his  people  forever. 

"My  father,  I  have  informed  you  what  we  mean  to 
do,  and  I  call  the  Great  Spirit  to  witness  the  truth  of  my 
declaration.  The  religion  which  I  have  established 
for  the  last  three  years  has  been  attended  by  all  the  dif 
ferent  tribes  of  Indians  in  this  part  of  the  world.  Those 
Indians  were  once  different  people ;  they  are  now  but  one ; 
they  are  determined  to  practise  what  I  have  communi 
cated  to  them,  that  has  come  directly  from  the  Great 
Spirit  through  me." 

The  Prophet  made  a  favorable  impression  on  the 
Governor,  and  after  his  visit  affairs  went  smoothly  for  a 
time.  The  Prophet  preached  and  his  followers  worked. 
Tecumseh  traveled  about  north  and  south,  east  and 
west,  talking  with  the  Indians  and  trying  to  unite  the 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

tribes  and  to  persuade  them  to  follow  his  brother's  teach 
ings. 

In  the  meantime,  settlers  came  steadily  from  the  south 
and  the  east,  and  the  governor  felt  the  need  of  more 
land.  Since  he  saw  no  prospect  of  immediate  trouble 
with  the  British  and  was  convinced  that  the  Prophet 
had  not  been  preparing  the  Indians  for  war,  he  deter 
mined  to  attempt  to  extend  the  United  States  territory. 

On  the  thirtieth  of  September,  1809,  Governor  Harri 
son  called  all  the  tribes  that  claimed  certain  lands  be- 
teen  the  White  and  Wabash  rivers  to  a  council.  Only  a 
few  of  the  weak  and  degenerate  tribes  answered  the 
summons.  Nevertheless,  he  went  through  the  ceremony 
of  making  a  treaty  by  which  the  United  States  govern 
ment  claimed  three  million  acres  of  Indian  land. 

This  act  of  Harrison's  lighted  a  hundred  council 
fires.  Everywhere  the  Indians  denounced  this  treaty. 
Soon  word  reached  Vincennes  that  tribes  that  had  before 
stood  apart  cherishing  their  independence  had  declared 
their  willingness  to  join  the  brothers  at  Tippecanoe. 
At  the  Prophet's  towrn  the  voice  of  the  warrior,  Tecum- 
seh,  sounded  above  that  of  the  preacher,  Tenskwatawa; 
and  running  and  wrestling  were  said  to  have  given  place 
to  the  practice  of  shooting  and  wielding  the  tomahawk. 

When  the  annual  supply  of  salt  was  sent  to  Tippe 
canoe,  the  Prophet  refused  to  accept  it,  and  sent  word  to 
the  Governor  that  the  Americans  had  dealt  unfairly  with 
the  Indians,  and  that  friendly  relations  could  be  renewed 
only  by  the  nullification  of  the  treaty  of  1809. 


HARRISON  AND  TECUMSEH 


149 


The  Indians  were  evidently  ready  for  war,  and  re 
peated  rumors  of  plots  to  attack  the  settlements  caused 
great  anxiety  among  the  frontiersmen.  The  Indians 
now  recognized  Tecumseh  as  their  leader,  and  looked 
to  him  for  the  word  of  command.  Realizing  how  much 
loss  of  life  and  land  a  defeat  would  bring  to  the  Indians, 
he  worked  tirelessly  to  make  his  people  ready  for  war, 
but  resolved  not  to  hazard  a  battle  unless  driven  to 
do  so. 


VIII.  THE  COUNCIL  BETWEEN  HARRISON  AND 
TECUMSEH 

Governor  Harrison  sent  agents  to  Tippecanoe,  who 
brought  back  word  that  the  Indians  were  preparing  for 
war;  that  Tecumseh  had  gathered  about  him  five  thou 
sand  warriors,  and  that  the  British  were  encouraging 
them  to  go  to  war,  and  promising  them  aid.  He  there 
fore  sent  a  letter  to  the  Prophet  telling  him  of  the  reports 
he  had  received,  and  warning  him  not  to  make  an  enemy 
of  the  Seventeen  Fires.  He  wrote: 

"Don't  deceive  yourselves;  do  not  believe  that  all 
the  nations  of  Indians  united  are  able  to  resist  the  force 
of  the  Seventeen  Fires.  I  know  your  warriors  are 
brave;  but  ours  are  not  less  so.  But  what  can  a  few 
brave  warriors  do  against  the  innumerable  warriors  of 
the  Seventeen  Fires?  Our  blue-coats  are  more  numer 
ous  than  you  can  count;  our  hunters  are  like  the  leaves 
of  the  forest,  or  the  grains  of  sand  on  the  Wabash.  Do 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 


not  think  that  the  red-coats  can  protect  you ;  they  are  not 
able  to  protect  themselves.  They  do  not  think  of  going 
to  war  with  us.  If  they  did,  you  would  in  a  few  moons 
see  our  flag  wave  over  all  the  forts  of  Canada.  What 
reason  have  you  to  complain  of  the  Seventeen  Fires? 
Have  they  taken  anything  from  you?  Have  they  ever 


HARRISON'S  COUNCIL  WITH  TECUMSEH  AT  VINCENNES 

violated  the  treaties  made  with  the  red  men?  You  say 
they  have  purchased  lands  from  those  who  had  no  right 
to  sell  them.  Show  that  this  is  true  and  the  land  will 
be  instantly  restored.  Show  us  the  rightful  owners.  I 
have  full  power  to  arrange  this  business ;  but  if  you  would 
rather  carry  your  complaints  before  your  great  father, 
the  President,  you  shall  be  indulged.  I  will  immediately 


HARRISON  AND  TECUMSEH 

take  means  to  send  you,  with  those  chiefs  that  you  may 
choose,  to  the  city  where  your  father  lives.  Everything 
necessary  shall  be  prepared  for  your  journey,  and  means 
taken  for  your  safe  return." 

Instead  of  answering  this  letter,  Tenskwatawa  said 
he  would  send  his  brother,  Tecumseh,  to  Vincennes  to 
confer  with  the  Governor.  Early  in  August  a  fleet  of 
eighty  canoes  started  down  the  Wabash  for  the  capital. 
Tecumseh,  with  four  hundred  warriors  at  his  back,  all 
armed  and  painted  as  if  for  battle,  was  on  his  way  to  meet 
in  council  for  the  first  time  the  man  who  was  respon 
sible  for  the  treaty  of  1809. 

The  party  encamped  just  outside  of  Vincennes,  and 
on  the  morning  appointed  for  the  council  Tecumseh  ap 
peared  attended  by  forty  warriors.  He  refused  to  meet 
the  Governor  and  his  officers  in  council  on  the  porch  of 
the  Governor's  house,  saying  he  preferred  to  hold  the 
conference  under  a  clump  of  trees  not  far  off.  The 
Governor  consented  and  ordered  benches  and  chairs  to 
be  taken  to  the  grove.  When  Tecumseh  was  asked  to 
take  a  chair  he  replied  pompously:  "The  sun  is  my 
father;  the  earth  is  my  mother;  on  her  bosom  I  will 
repose,"  and  seated  himself  on  the  ground.  His  warriors 
followed  his  example.  In  his  speech  Tecumseh  stated 
plainly  the  grievances  of  the  Indians.  He  said: 

"Brother,  since  the  peace  was  made,  you  have  killed 
some  Shawnees,  Winnebagoes,  Delawares,  and  Miamis, 
and  you  have  taken  our  land  from  us,  and  I  do  not  see 
how  we  can  remain  at  peace  if  you  continue  to  do  so. 


152  THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

You  try  to  force  the  red  people  to  do  some  injury.  It  is 
you  that  are  pushing  them  on  to  do  mischief.  You  en 
deavor  to  make  distinctions.  You  wish  to  prevent  the 
Indians  doing  as  we  wish  them — to  unite,  and  let  them 
consider  their  lands  as  the  common  property  of  the 
whole ;  you  take  tribes  aside  and  advise  them  not  to  come 
into  this  measure ;  and  until  our  plan  is  accomplished  we 
do  not  wish  to  accept  your  invitation  to  go  to  see  the 
President.  You  want  by  your  distinctions  of  Indian 
tribes  in  allotting  to  each  a  particular  tract  of  land,  to 
make  them  to  war  with  each  other.  You  never  see  an 
Indian  come  and  endeavor  to  make  the  white  people  do 
so.  You  are  continually  driving  the  red  people;  when, 
at  last,  you  will  drive  them  into  the  Great  Lake,  where 
they  can  neither  stand  nor  walk. 

"Brother,  you  ought  to  know  what  you  are  doing 
with  the  Indians.  Perhaps  it  is  by  direction  of  the 
President  to  make  these  distinctions.  It  is  a  very  bad 
thing  and  we  do  not  like  it.  Since  my  residence  at 
Tippecanoe  we  have  endeavored  to  level  all  distinctions 
— to  destroy  village  chiefs,  by  whom  all  mischief  is  done. 
It  is  they  who  sell  our  lands  to  the  Americans.  Our  ob 
ject  is  to  let  our  affairs  be  transacted  by  warriors. 

"Brother,  only  a  few  had  part  in  the  selling  of  this 
land  and  the  goods  that  were  given  for  it.  The  treaty 
was  afterwards  brought  here,  and  the  Weas  were  in 
duced  to  give  their  consent  because  of  their  small  num 
bers.  The  treaty  at  Fort  Wayne  was  made  through 
the  threats  of  Winnemac;  but  in  future  we  are  prepared 


HARRISON  AND  TECUMSEH 


153 


to  punish  those  chiefs  who  may  come  forward  to  pro 
pose  to  sell  the  land.  If  you  continue  to  purchase  of 
them  it  will  produce  war  among  the  different  tribes,  and, 
at  last,  I  do  not  know  what  will  be  the  consequence  to 
the  white  people. 

"Brother,  I  was  glad  to  hear  your  speech.  You 
said  that  if  we  could  show  that  the  land  was  sold  by 
people  that  had  no  right  to  sell,  you  would  restore  it. 
Those  that  did  sell  it  did  not  own  it.  It  was  me.  Those 
tribes  set  up  a  claim,  but  the  tribes  with  me -will  not 
agree  to  their  claim.  If  the  land  is  not  restored  to  us 
you  will  see  when  we  return  to  our  homes  how  it  will  be 
settled.  We  shall  have  a  great  council,  at  which  all  the 
tribes  will  be  present,  when  we  shall  show  to  those  who 
sold  that  they  had  no  right  to  the  claim  they  set  up ;  and 
we  will  see  what  will  be  done  to  those  chiefs  that  did  sell 
the  land  to  you.  I  am  not  alone  in  this  determination ; 
it  is  the  determination  of  all  the  warriors  and  red  people 
that  listen  to  me.  I  now  wish  you  to  listen  to  me.  If 
you  do  not,  it  will  appear  as  if  you  wished  me  to 
kill  all  the  chiefs  that  sold  you  the  land.  I  tell  you  so 
because  I  am  authorized  by  all  the  tribes  to  do  so.  I 
am  the  head  of  them  all ;  I  am  a  warrior,  and  all  the 
warriors  will  meet  together  in  two  or  three  moons  from 
this ;  then  I  will  call  for  those  chiefs  that  sold  you  the  land 
and  shall  know  what  to  do  with  them.  If  you  do  not  re 
store  the  land,  you  will  have  a  hand  in  killing  them." 

Governor  Harrison  began  his  reply  by  saying  that  the 
Indian  tribes  were  and  always  had  been  independent  of 


154 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 


one  another,  and  had  a  right  to  sell  their  own  lands,  with 
out  interference  from  others. 

Tecumseh  might  have  answered  that  the  Seventeen 
Fires  had  already  recognized  that  the  land  was  the 
common  property  of  the  tribes  by  treating  with  ten  of 
them  in  making  the  Greenville  purchase.  But  instead  he 
and  his  followers  lost  their  temper  and  jumped  to  their 
feet  in  a  rage,  as  if  to  attack  the  Governor.  And  the 
council  ended  in  an  undignified  row. 

Tecumseh  regretted  this  very  much.  He  sent  an 
apology  to  Governor  Harrison  and  requested  another 
meeting.  Another  council  was  called  and  this  time  the 
Indians  controlled  their  anger;  but  Tecumseh  maintained 
till  the  last  that  the  Indians  would  never  allow  the  white 
people  to  take  possession  of  the  land  they  claimed  by  the 
treaty  of  1809. 

The  next  day  Governor  Harrison,  accompanied  only 
by  an  interpreter,  courageously  visited  Tecumseh's  en 
campment  and  had  a  long  talk  with  him.  Tecumseh  said 
the  Indians  had  no  wish  for  war,  and  would  gladly  be 
at  peace  with  the  Long  Knives  if  the  Governor  could  per 
suade  the  President  to  give  back  the  disputed  land. 
He  said  he  had  no  wish  to  join  the  British,  who  were 
not  the  true  friends  of  the  Indians,  but  were  always 
urging  them  to  fight  against  the  Americans  for  their 
own  advantage. 

Governor  Harrison  said  he  would  report  to  the  Presi 
dent  all  that  Tecumseh  had  said,  but  that  he  knew  the 
President  would  not  give  up  the  land  he  had  purchased. 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  WAR 


155 


"Well,"  said  Tecumseh,  bluntly,  "as -the  great  chief 
is  to  determine  the  matter,  I  hope  the  Great  Spirit  will 
put  sense  enough  into  his  head  to  induce  him  to  direct 
you  to  give  up  this  land.  It  is  true,  he  is  so  far  off  he 
will  not  be  hurt  by  the  war;  he  may  sit  in  his  town  and 
drink  his  wine,  while  you  and  I  will  have  to  fight  it 
out/' 


IX.  PREPARATIONS  FOR  WAR 

A  year  of  unrest  and  anxiety  followed  the  council 
at  Vincennes.  The  United  States  government  made 
an  attempt  to  survey  the  new  purchase,  but  the  surveyors 
were  driven  off  by  the  Indians. 

Occasional  outrages  were  committed  on  both  sides. 
Horses  were  stolen.  Several  white  men  were  murdered 
by  Indians,  and  several  Indians  were  murdered  by  white 
men. 

In  the  spring  of  1811,  when  the  usual  supply  of  salt 
was  sent  up  the  Wabash  to  be  distributed  among  the 
tribes,  the  Indians  at  the  Prophet's  town,  instead  of 
again  rejecting  it,  seized  it  all.  This  was  done  in  the 
absence  of  Tecumseh,  who  seemed  in  every  way  to  seek 
to  avoid  bringing  about  war. 

Governor  Harrison  knew  the  treacherous  nature  of 
Indians  and  feared  that  Tecumseh's  desire  for  peace 
might  be  feigned  in  order  to  throw  him  off  his  guard. 
He  reasoned  that  it  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  and 
little  to  be  wished  that  the  United  States  should  relin- 


156  THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

quish  the  territory  for  which  the  Indians  were  contend 
ing.  The  Indians  would  hardly  give  up  the  land  with 
out  war.  Delay  only  gave  Tecumseh  time  to  strengthen 
his  band.  Harrison  thought  it  wise  to  force  the  broth 
ers  to  open  war  or  to  give  assurance  of  peace.  Accord 
ingly,  he  wrote  them  a  letter  or  speech,  in  which  he 
said: 

"Brothers,  this  is  the  third  year  that  all  the  white  peo 
ple  in  this  country  have  been  alarmed  at  your  proceed 
ings;  you  threaten  us  with  war;  you  invite  all  the  tribes 
to  the  north  and  west  of  you  to  join  against  us. 

"Brothers,  your  warriors  who  have  lately  been  here 
deny  this,  but  I  have  received  information  from  every 
direction ;  the  tribes  on  the  Mississippi  have  sent  me  word 
that  you  intended  to  murder  me,  and  then  to  commence 
a  war  upon  our  people.  I  have  also  received  the  speech 
you  sent  to  the  Pottawottomies  and  others  to  join  you 
for  that  purpose;  but  if  I  had  no  other  evidence  of  your 
hostility  to  us  your  seizing  the  salt  I  lately  sent  up  the 
Wabash  is  sufficient.  Brothers,  our  citizens  are  alarmed, 
and  my  warriors  are  preparing  themselves,  not  to  strike 
you  but  to  defend  themselves,  and  their  women  and 
children.  You  shall  not  surprise  us  as  you  expect  to 
do;  you  are  about  to  undertake  a  very  rash  act.  As  a 
friend,  I  advise  you  to  consider  well  of  it;  a  little  reflec 
tion  may  save  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  prevent  much 
mischief;  it  is  not  yet  too  late. 

"Brothers,  if  you  wish  to  satisfy  us  that  your  in 
tentions  are  good,  follow  the  advice  I  have  given  you 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  WAR 

before:  that  is,  that  one  or  both  of  you  should  visit 
the  President  of  the  United  States  and  lay  your  griev 
ances  before  him.  He  will  treat  you  well,  will  listen 
to  what  you  say,  and  if  you  can  show  him  that  you  have 
been  injured,  you  will  receive  justice.  If  you  will  follow 
my  advice  in  this  respect  it  will  convince  the  citizens  of 
this  country  and  myself  that  you  have  no  design  to 
attack  them.  Brothers,  with  respect  to  the  lands  that 
were  purchased  last  fall,  I  can  enter  into  no  negotiations 
with  you  on  that  subject;  the  affair  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  President.  If  you  wish  to  go  and  see  him,  I  will 
supply  you  with  the  means." 

If  either  of  the  brothers  should  act  upon  the  Gov 
ernor's  advice  and  go  to  Washington  he  would  be  vir 
tually  a  hostage  in  the  hands  of  the  government,  and 
the  Indians  would  not  dare  to  do  the  settlers  any  harm 
lest  their  leader  should  come  to  grief  because  of  their 
misdoing. 

Tecumseh  sent  the  Governor  a  brief,  friendly  reply, 
in  which  he  promised  to  go  to  Vincennes  himself  in 
a  short  time.  Governor  Harrison  did  not  know  just  what 
to  expect  from  the  proposed  visit,  but  he  remembered 
Pontiac's  attempt  to  capture  Detroit  by  surprise  and 
he  prepared  to  give  his  guest  a  warlike  reception  if 
need  be. 

Late  in  July  the  chief  arrived,  attended  by  about  three 
hundred  Indians.  A  council  was  held  which  the  Gov 
ernor  opened  by  recounting  the  injuries  the  white  men 
had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  and  by  again 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 


making  the  charge  that  the  Indians  were  preparing  for 
war.  Tecumseh  replied  with  a  counter  enumeration  of 
injuries,  and  said  again  that  the  Indians  would  never 
give  up  the  land  in  dispute,  but  that  it  was  his  wish  and 
hope  that  the  matter  could  be  settled  peaceably.  He 

...,,.,,..,. ,,,..      ,.,        said  that  he  was  trying 

1%    to  build  up  a  strong  na- 

I  ^    *$***'  ti°n  °^  red  men>  a^ter  tne 

model  of  the  Seventeen 
Fires,  and  that  he  was 
on  his  way  to  visit  the 
southern  tribes  to  invite 
them  to  join  his  league. 
He  assured  Governor 
Harrison  that  he  had 
given  the  strictest  orders 
that  the  northern  Indians 
should  remain  at  peace 
during  his  absence,  and 
that  as  soon  as  he  re 
turned  he  would  go  to 
TECUMSEH  INCITING  THE  CREEKS  Washington  to  settle  the 

land  question. 

Tecumseh  then  hastened  to  the  South,  where  he 
worked  to  good  effect  among  the  Creeks  and  Seminoles, 
persuading  them  to  join  his  confederacy.  It  is  said  that 
where  he  could  not  persuade  he  threatened.  One  story  „ 
illustrating  his  manner  of  dealing  with  those  that  resisted 
him  is  as  follows :  Visiting  a  tribe  which  listened  coldly 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  WAR 

to  his  words  and  seemed  unwilling  to  take  part  in  his 
plans  he  suddenly  lost  all  patience.  With  fierce  ges 
tures  and  a,  terrible  look  he  shouted :  "You  do  not  think 
what  I  say  is  true.  You  do  not  believe  this  is  the  wish 
of  the  Great  Spirit.  I  will  show  you.  When  I  reach 
Detroit  I  will  stamp  my  foot  on  the  earth  and  the  earth 
will  tremble  and  shake  your  houses  down  about  your 
ears."  The  tale  goes  on  to  say  that  after  due  time  had 
elapsed  for  Tecumseh  to  reach  Detroit  an  earthquake 
shook  down  all  the  dwellings  of  the  village  he  had  left  in 
anger.'  Whether  this  is  true  or  not,  Tecumseh  certainly 
had  wonderful  influence  over  all  tribes.  Governor  Harri 
son  wrote  to  the  Secretary  of  War  about  him  :  "If  it  were 
not  for  the  vicinity  of  the  United  States,  he  would  per 
haps  be  the  founder  of  an  empire  that  would  rival  in 
glory  Mexico  or  Peru.  No  difficulties  deter  him.  For 
four  years  he  has  been  in  constant  motion.  You  see  him 
to-day  on  the  Wabash,  and  in  a  short  time  hear  of  him 
on  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie  or  Michigan,  or  on  the  banks 
of  the  Mississippi ;  and  wherever  he  goes  he  makes  an 
impression  favorable  to  his  purpose.  He  is  now  upon 
the  last  round  to  put  a  finishing  stroke  to  his  work.  I 
hope,  however,  before  his  return  that  that  part  of  the 
work  which  he  considered  complete  will  be  demolished, 
and  even  its  foundation  rooted  up." 

In  the  meantime  Tecumseh  trusted  Governor  Harri 
son  with  child-like  simplicity.  It  seems  not  to  have 
occurred  to  him  that  the  Governor  would  not  remain  in 
active  until  he  had  completed  his  arrangements  and 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

opened  the  war.  Indeed,  there  were  those  at  Wash 
ington  who  also  thought  this  was  what  Harrison  would 
and  ought  to  do;  that  is,  keep  on  the  defensive  until 
the  Indians  made  some  outbreak. 

This  was  not  the  feeling  on  the  frontier,  however. 
The  frontiersmen  were  in  no  humor  to  sit  still  and  wait 
for  the  Indians  to  scalp  them  at  their  plows  or  burn 
them  in  their  beds.  Their  cry  was,  "On  to  Tippe- 
canoe !" 

This  spirit  was  in  accord  with  the  Governor's  inclina 
tion.  A  man  of  action,  and  bred  to  military  life,  Harri 
son  favored  prompt,  vigorous  measures.  He  believed 
this  a  favorable  time  for  an  attack  on  the  Prophet's 
town.  Tecumseh  was  well  out  of  the  wray,  and  had 
left  orders  for  the  tribes  to  remain  at  peace  during  his 
absence.  As  many  would  hesitate  to  disobey  his  com 
mand,  there  would  be  no  united  resistance.  Besides,  the 
Prophet  had  been  left  in  charge,  and  a  victory  over  him 
would  destroy  the  Indians'  faith  in  his  supernatural 
power.  This  faith  Harrison  had  come  to  regard  as  the 
backbone  of  the  Indian  alliance.  Moreover,  the  British 
were  not  in  a  position  to  give  the  Indians  open  assistance 
and  they  would  learn  from  a  few  battles  fought  without 
their  aid  how  little  trust  was  to  be  put  in  British  prom 
ises. 

For  these  reasons,  Harrison  wrote  to  the  War  De 
partment  urging  immediate  action  and  asking  for  troops 
and  authority  to  march  against  Tippecanoe.  The  troops 
were  granted,  but  with  the  instruction  that  President 


THE  BATTLE  OF  TIPPECANOE  j6i 

Madison   wished   peace   with   the   Indians   preserved   if 
possible. 


X.  THE  BATTLE  OF  TIPPECANOE 

In  August,  in  the  year  1811,  Governor  Harrison  sent 
stern  "speeches"  to  the  Indian  tribes,  threatening  them 
with  punishment  if  they  did  not  cease  their  preparations 
for  war  and  comply  with  his  demands. 

On  September  the  twenty-fifth  the  Prophet's  reply 
arrived  at  Vincennes.  He  gave  repeated  assurances  that 
the  Indians  had  no  intention  of  making  war  on  the  set 
tlers,  and  he  promised  to  comply  with  whatever  demands 
the  Governor  might  make.  To  this  message  Harrison 
sent  no  answer. 

The  Governor  was  now  ready  for  action.  He  had 
a  force  of  about  a  thousand  fighting  men.  The  militia 
were  reinforced  by  three  hundred  regulars,  and  one  hun 
dred  and  thirty  mounted  men,  under  a  brave  Kentuckian, 
J.  H.  Daveiss,  who  wanted  a  share  in  the  glory  of  an 
encounter  with  the  Indians.  Later  two  companies  of 
mounted  riflemen  were  added  to  this  force.  Harrison 
sent  a  detachment  of  men  up  the  river  to  build  a  fort  on 
the  new  land.  By  this  act  he  took  formal  possession 
of  it. 

He  felt  his  hands  tied  by  the  President's  instructions 
to  avoid  war  with  the  Indians  if  possible,  and  awaited 
developments  with  impatience.  He  expected  the  In 
dians  to  oppose  in  some  way  the  building  of  the  fort — 

FOUR  IND. — n 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

and  his  expectations  were  at  length  realized.  One  of  the 
sentinels  who  kept  guard  while  the  soldiers  worked  on 
the  fort  was  shot  and  severely  wounded.  Harrison 
thought  this  might  be  regarded  as  the  opening  of  hos 
tilities,  and  determined  to  march  upon  the  Prophet's  town. 
A  letter  from  the  War  Department  received  at  about  this 
time  left  him  free  to  carry  out  his  plans. 

It  was  late  in  October  before  the  new  fort,  named 
Fort  Harrison  in  honor  of  the  Governor,  was  finished, 
and  the  force  ready  to  leave.  Then  Harrison  sent  mes 
sengers  to  the  Prophet  demanding  that  the  Indians 
should  return  stolen  horses  to  their  owners,  and  sur 
render  Indians  who  had  murdered  white  men.  He  also 
demanded  that  the  Winnebagoes,  Pottawottomies  and 
Kickapoos  who  were  at  Tippecanoe  should  return  to 
their  tribes.  Without  waiting  for  a  reply  or  appointing 
a  time  or  place  where  the  Prophet's  answer  might  find 
him,  Harrison  began  his  march  on  Tippecanoe.  Through 
the  disputed  land  the  armed  forces  marched;  on,  on, 
into  the  undisputed  territory  of  the  Indians. 

Still  they  met  with  no  opposition.  Not  an  Indian 
was  seen  until  November  the  sixth,  when  the  troops 
were  within  eleven  miles  of  Tippecanoe.  And  although 
many  of  them  were  seen  from  that  time  on,  they  could 
not  be  tempted  to  any  greater  indiscretion  than  the  mak 
ing  of  threatening  signs  in  response  to  the  provok 
ing  remarks  of  the  interpreters.  When  within  two 
miles  of  Tippecanoe,  Harrison  found  himself  and  his 
army  in  a  dangerous  pass  that  offered  the  Indians  a 


THE  BATTLE  OF  TIPPECANOE 

most  inviting  chance  for  an  ambush.  But  he  was  not 
molested. 

When  the  troops  were  safe  in  the  open  country  once 
more,  Harrison  held  a  conference  with  his  officers.  All 
were  eager  to  advance  at  once  and  attack  the  town. 
They  held  that  if  there  was  any  question  about  the  right 
or  the  necessity  of  an  attack  it  should  have  been  decided 
before  they  started;  now  that  they  had  arrived  at  the 
stronghold  of  the  Indians  there  was  only  one  safe  course, 
and  that  was  immediate  attack. 

Perhaps  the  circumstances  of  the  march  had  per 
suaded  Harrison  of  the  sincerity  of  the  Indians'  plan  for 
peace,  and  he  felt  that  after  all  the  affair  might  be 
settled  without  bloodshed.  At  any  rate,  he  was  most 
reluctant  to  comply  with  the  wishes  of  his  aids.  But  at 
last  yielding  to  their  urgency  he  gave  the  order  to  ad 
vance  and  storm  the  town.  Scarcely  had  he  done  so, 
however,  before  he  was  turned  from  his  purpose  by  the 
arrival  of  messengers  from  the  Prophet  begging  that 
the  difficulties  be  settled  without  a  battle.  Harrison 
sent  back  word  that  he  had  no  intention  of  making  an 
attack  unless  the  Prophet  refused  to  concede  to  his  de 
mands.  He  consented  to  suspend  hostilities  for  the 
night  and  give  Tenskwatawa  a  hearing  in  the  morning. 

Greatly  against  the  will  of  his  officers,  who  had  no 
faith  in  the  Indians'  professions  of  friendliness  and  saw 
that  every  hour  of  delay  might  be  put  to  good  use  by  the 
Prophet,  Harrison  encamped  for  the  night.  He  seems 
to  have  had  little  fear  of  an  attack,  as  he  did  not  even 


STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

fortify  his  camp  with  intrenchments.  But  his  men 
slept  on  their  arms  that  night,  and,  although  no  sound 
from  the  Indian  village  disturbed  the  stillness,  there  was 
a  general  feeling  of  restlessness. 

Between  four  and  five  in  the  morning,  in  the  dark 
that  comes  before  the  dawn,  a  sentinel's  shot  followed  by 
the  Indian  yell  brought  every  man  to  his  feet.  As 
the  soldiers  stood  in  the  light  of  the  camp  fires,  peering 
into  the  blackness  with  cocked  muskets,  they  were  shot 
down  by  savages,  who  rushed  upon  them  with  such  force 
that  they  broke  the  line  of  guards  and  made  an  entrance 
into  the  camp.  Had  the  number  of  assailants  been 
greater,  or  had  Harrison  been  less  alert,  they  would 
doubtless  have  created  a  panic.  But  Harrison  was 
already  up  and  on  the  point  of  rousing  his  soldiers 
when  the  alarm  sounded.  With  perfect  self-possession 
he  rode  about  where  bullets  were  flying  thickest,  giving 
orders  and  encouraging  his  men. 

The  brave  Daveiss,  having  gained  Harrison's  con 
sent,  recklessly  plunged  with  only  a  few  followers  into 
a  thicket  to  dislodge  some  Indians  who  were  firing  upon 
the  troops  at  close  range.  He  was  soon  surrounded  and 
shot  down. 

The  Indians  fought  with  great  persistence  and  kept 
up  the  attack  for  two  hours,  during  which  the  troops  held 
their  ground  with  admirable  firmness.  As  day  dawned 
the  Indians  gradually  withdrew. 

Harrison's  situation  was  perilous.  Counting  killed 
and  wounded  he  had  already  lost  one  hundred  and  fifty 


THE  BATTLE  OF  TIPPECANOE 


165 


fighting  men.  The  Indians  might  return  at  any  mo 
ment  in  larger  numbers  to  attack  his  exhausted  force. 
Provisions  were  low  and  it  was  cold  and  raining.  The 
men  stood  at  their  posts  through  the  day  without  food 
or  fire.  All  day  and  all  night  the  soldiers  kept  watch. 
The  second  day,  the  horsemen  cautiously  advanced  to 
the  town.  To  their  relief  they  found  it  empty.  The 


BATTLE  OF  TIPPECANOE 

Indians  had  evidently  fled  in  haste,  leaving  behind  large 
stores  of  provisions.  Harrison's  troops  helped  them 
selves  to  what  they  wanted,  burned  the  deserted  town, 
and  returned  to  Vincennes  with  rapid  marches. 

As  a  result  of  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  Harrison  was 
the  hero  of  the  hour.  News  of  the  destruction  of  the 
Prophet's  town  carried  cheer  into  every  white  man's 
cabin  on  the  frontier. 


166  THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

XL    REORGANIZATION  OF  THE  INDIANS 

Of  the  six  hundred  Indians  that  Harrison  estimated 
had  taken  part  in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  thirty-eight 
were  found  dead  on  the  field.  Though  that  was  not  a 
large  number  from  a  white  man's  point  of  view,  the 
Indians  regarded  the  loss  of  thirty-eight  of  their  warriors 
as  no  light  matter. 

But  that  was  not  the  heaviest  blow  to  the  confedera 
tion  that  Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet  had  worked  so  hard 
to  establish.  Tippecanoe  had  been  regarded  with  super 
stitious  veneration  as  the  Prophet's  town,  a  sort  of  holy 
city,  under  the  special  protection  of  the  Great  Spirit. 
The  destruction  of  the  town,  therefore,  seriously  affected 
the  reputation  of  the  Prophet. 

It  is  hard  to  tell  what  part  the  Prophet  played  in 
the  attack  on  Governor  Harrison's  forces.  In  their 
anxiety  to  escape  punishment  from  the  United  States 
government  many  Indians  who  were  known  to  have 
taken  part  in  the  battle  excused  their  conduct  by  saying 
they  had  acted  in  obedience  to  the  Prophet's  direc 
tions.  They  told  strange  stories  of  his  urging  them  to 
battle  with  promises  that  the  Great  Spirit  would  protect 
them  from  the  bullets  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Prophet  said  the  young  men 
who  would  not  listen  to  his  commands  were  to  blame 
for  the  trouble. 

The  fact  that  the  Indians  did  not  follow  up  their  ad 
vantage  over  Harrison,  and  instead  of  renewing  the  at- 


REORGANIZATION  OF  THE  INDIANS 


I67 


tack  with  their  full  force,  fled  from  him,  would  indicate 
that  there  certainly  was  a  large  party  in  favor  of  peace. 
It  seems  probabK  that  that  party  was  made  up  of  the 
Prophet  and  his  most  faithful  followers,  rather  than  of 
those  Indians  who,  while  pretending-  to  be  the  friends 
of  the  United  States  and  accusing  the  Prophet,  admitted 
that  they  had  done  the  fighting.  Tenskwatawa  had  had 
advice  from  the  British,  and  strict  orders  from  Tecumseh 
to  remain  at  peace,  and  he  had  shown  in  many  ways  his 
anxiety  to  appease  Harrison  and  keep  the  Indians  from 
doing  violence.  For  some  time  the  influence  of  Ten 
skwatawa  and  Tecumseh  had  been  more  to  restrain 
and  direct  than  to  excite  the  anger  of  the  Indians 
which  had  been  kindled  by  the  treaty  of  1809,  and  was 
ready  to  break  out  at  any  instant.  It  is  hard,  too,  to 
believe  that  young  warriors  who  had  never  been  trained 
to  act  on  the  defensive  could  be  constrained  to  wait 
until  they  were  attacked,  and  so  lose  the  advantage  to  be 
gained  by  surprising  the  enemy,  or  that  they  could  be 
made  to  withdraw  without  striking  a  blow. 

But  however  blameless  the  Prophet  may  have  been,  he 
suffered  for  a  time,  as  Harrison  had  supposed  he  would. 
He  was  the  scapegoat  on  whom  all  placed  the  responsi 
bility  for  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe.  Even  Tecumseh  is 
said  to  have  rebuked  him  bitterly  for  not  holding  the 
young  men  in  check. 

That  Tecumseh  disapproved  of  the  affair  is  evident 
from  the  answer  he  sent  the  British,  who  advised  him 
to  avoid  further  encounters  with  the  Americans : 


i68 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 


"You  tell  us  to  retreat  or  turn  to  one  side  should  the 
Big  Knives  come  against  us.  Had  I  been  at  home  in 
the  late  unfortunate  affair  I  should  hr.ve  done  so;  but 
those  I  left  at  home  were — I  cannot  call  them  men — 
a  poor  set  of  people,  and  their  scuffle  with  the  Big  Knives 
I  compared  to  a  struggle  between  little  children  who  only 
scratch  each  other's  faces." 


INDIANS   THREATENING  "THE   PROPHET" 

In  the  spring,  Tecumseh  presented  himself  at  Vin- 
cennes  saying  that  he  was  now  ready  to  go  to  Washing 
ton  to  visit  the  President.  The  Governor,  however, 
gave  him  a  cold  welcome,  telling  him  that  if  he  went  he 
must  go  alone.  Tecumseh's  pride  was  hurt  and  he  re 
fused  to  go  unless  he  could  travel  in  a  style  suited  to 
the  dignity  of  a  great  chief,  the  leader  of  the  red  men. 


REORGANIZATION  OF  THE  INDIANS  jfig 

Harrison  soon  learned  that  the  brothers  were  again 
at  Tippecanoe,  with  their  loyal  followers,  rebuilding  the 
village  and  strengthening  their  forces. 

In  April,  1812,  a  succession  of  horrible  murders  on 
the  frontier  alarmed  the  settlers.  A  general  uprising  of 
the  Indians  was  expected  daily.  The  militiamen  refused 
to  leave  their  families  unprotected.  The  Governor  was 
unable  to  secure  the  protection  of  the  United  States 
troops.  Panic  spread  along  the  border;  whole  districts 
were  unpeopled.  Men,  women,  and  children  hastened 
to  the  forts  or  even  to  Kentucky  for  safety.  There  was 
fear  that  Vincennes  would  be  overpowered. 

Had  the  Indians  chosen  this  time  to  strike,  they  could 
have  done  terrible  mischief.  But  Tecumseh's  voice  was 
still  for  peace.  At  a  council  held  in  May,  he  said : 

"Governor  Harrison  made  war  on  my  people  in  my 
absence;  it  was  the  will  of  God  that  he  should  do  so. 
We  hope  it  will  please  the  Great  Spirit  that  the  white 
people  may  let  us  live  in  peace.  We  will  not  disturb 
them,  neither  have  we  done  it,  except  when  they  come 
to  our  village  with  the  intention  of  destroying  us.  \Ve 
are  happy  to  state  to  our  brothers  present  that  the  unfor 
tunate  transaction  that  took  place  between  the  white 
people  and  a  few  of  our  young  men  at  our  village,  has 
been  settled  between  us  and  Governor  Harrison;  and  I 
will  further  state  that  had  I  been  at  home  there  would 
have  been  no  bloodshed  at  that  time. 


170 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 


"It  is  true,  we  have  endeavored  to  give  all  our  broth 
ers  good  advice,  and  if  they  have  not  listened  to  it  we  are 
sorry  for  it.  We  defy  a  living  creature  to  say  we 
ever  advised  any  one,  directly  or  indirectly,  to  make  war 
on  our  white  brothers.  It  has  constantly  been  our  mis 
fortune  to  have  our  view  misrepresented  to  our  white 
brothers.  This  has  been  done  by  the  Pottawottomies 
and  others  who  sell  to  the  white  people  land  that  does  not 
belong  to  them." 


XII.  TECUMSEH  AND  THE  BRITISH 

Greatly  as  Tecumseh  wished  the  Indians  to  remain  at 
peace  with  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  he  saw  that 
it  was  impossible  for  them  to  do  so  unless  they  were 
willing  to  give  up  their  lands.  The  British,  meanwhile, 
promised  to  regain  for  the  Indians  all  the  land  north  of 
the  Ohio  River  and  east  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains. 
They  roused  in  the  heart  of  Tecumseh  the  hope  that  the 
old  boundaries  between  the  territory  of  the  Indians  and 
the  territory  of  the  white  man  would  be  reestablished. 
When  war  broke  out  in  1812,  between  Great  Britain 
and  the  United  States,  Tecumseh  joined  the  British  at 
Maiden.  In  making  this  alliance  he  was  not  influenced 
by  any  kindly  feeling  toward  the  British.  He  simply  did 
what  seemed  to  him  for  the  best  interests  of  the  Indians. 

At  the  outset,  fortune  favored  the  British  flag.  Fort 
Mackinac,  in  northern  Michigan,  •  fell  into  the  hands  of 
a  force  of  British  and  Indians.  Detroit  was  surrendered 


TECUMSEH  AND  THE  BRITISH 


171 


to  General  Brock  without  resistance.  Fort  Dearborn,  at 
Chicago,  was  burned  and  its  garrison  was  massacred  by 
the  Indians.  The  English  seemed  in  a  fair  way  to  fulfill 
their  promise  of  driving  the  American  settlers  from  the 
Northwest.  Fort  Harrison  and  Fort  Wayne  were  the 


FORT  DETROIT  IN  1812 

only  strongholds  of  importance  left  to  guard  the  fron 
tier.  These  forts  Tecumseh  planned  to  take  by  stratagem. 
The  victories  of  the  British  won  to  their  side  the 
tribes  that  had  hesitated,  and  hundreds  of  warriors 
flocked  to  the  standard  of  Tecumseh.  He  became,  an 
important  and  conspicuous  figure  in  the  war.  His  brav- 


172 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 


ery,  his  knowledge  of  the  country,  and  his  large  follow 
ing  made  it  possible  for  him  to  give  his  allies  invaluable 
aid.  Without  Tecumseh  and  his  Indians  the  British 
war  in  the  West  would  have  been  a  slight  affair. 

The  Americans  fitted  out  a  large  military  force  to 
retake  Detroit,  and  overthrow  the  Indians  who  threat 
ened  the  settlements.  General  Harrison  was  put  in  com 
mand  of  the  expedition.  He  set  out  with  his  army  in 
grand  array,  but  was  unable  to  reach  Detroit  because  of 
the  swampy  condition  of  the  land  over  which  he  must, 
march.  He  was  forced  to  camp  on  the  Maumee  River. 
His  advance  into  the  territory  of  the  Indians  thwarted 
the  enterprise  that  Tecumseh  had  set  on  foot  against  Fort 
Wayne. 

While  Harrison  was  encamped  at  Fort  Meigs  there 
were  several  encounters  between  the  hostile  forces.  A 
division  of  Harrison's  army,  under  General  Winchester, 
having  allowed  itself  to  become  separated  from  the  main 
army,  was  attacked  on  the  River  Raisin  by  a  party  of 
British  and  Indians.  After  a  fierce  struggle  the  rem 
nant  of  General  Winchester's  force  surrendered  to  the 
British.  In  the  absence  of  Tecumseh  many  of  the  pris 
oners  were  cruelly  massacred  by  the  Indian  victors. 

Major  Richardson's  description  of  General  Winches 
ter's  men  gives  us  a  good  idea  of  the  hardihood  of  the 
frontier  soldiers,  and  shows  us  how  they  came  to  be 
called  "Long  Knives"  by  the  Indians : 

"It  was  the  depth  of  winter;  but  scarcely  an  indi 
vidual  was  in  possession  of  a  great  coat  or  cloak,  and 


TECUMSEH  AND  THE  BRITISH 


173 


few  of  them  wore  garments  of  wool  of  any  description. 
They  still  retained  their  summer  dress,  consisting  of  cot 
ton  stuff  of  various  colors  shaped  into  frocks,  and  de 
scending  to  the  knee.  Their  trousers  were  of  the  same 
material.  They  were  cov 
ered  with  slouched  hats, 
worn  bare  by  constant 
use,  beneath  which  their 
long  hair  fell  matted  and 
uncombed  over  their 
cheeks;  and  these,  to 
gether  with  the  dirty 
blankets  wrapped  round 
their  loins  to  protect  them 
against  the  inclemency  of 
the  season,  and  fastened 
by  broad  leathern  belts, 
into  which  were  thrust 
axes  and  knives  of  an 
enormous  length,  gave 
them  an  air  of  wildness 
and  savageness." 

Later,  General  Proc 
tor,  who  had  succeeded  General  Brock  in  command  of 
the  British  forces  at  Detroit,  laid  siege  to  Fort  Meigs, 
Tecumseh,  who  took  part  in  the  siege,  was  anxious  to 
meet  the  enemy  in  open  country.  He  sent  the  following 
unceremonious  challenge  to  his  old  acquaintance : 

"General  Harrison:      I  have  with  me  eight  hundred 


ONE  OF  THE  "LONG  KNIVES' 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

braves.  You  have  an  equal  number  in  your  hiding  place. 
Come  out  with  them  and  give  me  battle.  You  talked 
like  a  brave  when  we  met  at  Vincennes,  and  I  respected 
you ;  but  now  you  hide  behind  logs  and  in  the  earth,  like 
a  ground-hog.  Give  me  answer.  TECUMSEH." 

When  Harrison  did  venture  to  send  out  a  detach 
ment  it  was  beaten  by  the  Indians,  and  many  of  the 
Americans  were  made  prisoners.  For  all  the  effort  Gen 
eral  Proctor  made  to  prevent  it,  a  terrible  massacre  might 
have  followed  this  victory.  Just  as  the  Indians  had 
begun  to  murder  the  prisoners,  Tecumseh  rode  upon 
the  scene  of  slaughter.  When  he  saw  what  was  going 
on  he  exclaimed  in  a  passion  of  regret  and  indignation, 
"Oh,  what  will  become  of  my  Indians !"  He  rushed  into 
the  midst  of  the  savages,  rescued  the  man  they  were  be 
ginning  to  torture,  and,  with  uplifted  tomahawk,  dared 
the  whole  horde  to  touch  another  prisoner.  They  cowered 
before  him,  deeply  ashamed  of  their  conduct. 

On  discovering  that  General  Proctor  was  present, 
Tecumseh  demanded  impatiently  why  he  had  not  inter 
fered  to  prevent  the  massacre.  General  Proctor  an 
swered  that  Tecumseh's  Indians  could  not  be  controlled. 
To  this  Tecumseh  responded  with  scorn:  "Say,  rather, 
you  are  unable  to  command.  Go  put  on  petticoats." 

In  September,  1813,  Commodore  Perry's  splendid 
victories  on  Lake  Erie  gave  to  the  Americans  control  of 
the  Lakes,  and  this  made  it  impossible  for  the  British  to 
hold  Detroit  and  Maiden.  Harrison  was  advancing  with 
a  land  force  to  take  these  towns  and  General  Proctor  was 


TECUMSEH  AND  THE  BRITISH 

eager  to  get  out  of  his  way.  He  began  to  prepare  for 
retreat,  but  tried  to  conceal  his  purpose  from  Tecumseh. 
The  latter' s  suspicions  were  aroused,  however,  and  he 
demanded  a  council,  in  which  he  made  his  last  formal 
speech.  He  spoke  boldly  and  bitterly  against  General 
Proctor's  course.  He  said : 

"You  always  told  us  you  would  never  draw  your 
foot  off  British  ground ;  but  now,  father,  we  see  that  you 
are  drawing  back,  and  we  are  sorry  to  see  our  father 
doing  so  without  seeing  the  enemy.  We  must  compare 
our  father's  conduct  to  a  fat  dog  that  carries  its  tail  on 
its  back,  but  when  affrighted  it  drops  it  between  its  legs 
and  runs  off.  Father,  listen!  The  Americans  have 
not  yet  defeated  us  by  land;  neither  are  we  sure  they 
have  done  so  by  water ;  we  therefore  wish  to  remain  here 
and  fight  our  enemy,  should  they  make  their  appearance. 
If  they  defeat  us  we  will  retreat  with  our  father.  *  *  * 
We  now  see  our  British  father  preparing  to  march 
out  of  his  stronghold.  Father,  you  have  the  arms  and 
ammunition  which  our  great  father  sent  to  his  red  chil 
dren.  If  you  have  an  idea  of  going  away,  give  them 
to  us  and  you  may  go  and  welcome.  For  us,  our  lives 
are  in  the  hands  of  the  Great  Spirit.  We  are  determined 
to  defend  our  lands,  and  if  it  be  His  will,  we  wish  to 
leave  our  bones  upon  them." 

Notwithstanding  the  wish  of  Tecumseh,  General 
Proctor  kept  his  purpose  to  retreat.  He  promised,  how 
ever,  that  if  they  were  pursued  by  the  Americans  he 
would  turn  at  the  first  favorable  site  and  give  them  bat- 


THE  STORY  OF  TECUMSEH 

tie.  Accordingly,  Tecumseh  accompanied  the  retreat 
ing  General.  He  repeatedly  urged  Proctor  to  keep  his 
promise  and  face  the  enemy.  On  the  fifth  of  October, 
Proctor  learned  that  the  American  forces  were  at  his 
heels.  Valor,  therefore,  seemed  the  better  part  of  discre 
tion,  and,  choosing  a  ridge  between  the  Thames  River 
and  a  swamp,  he  arranged  his  forces  for  battle. 

Colonel  Richard  M.  Johnson  managed  the  charge  of 
the  Americans.  One  division  of  his  regiment,  under 
command  of  his  brother,  attacked  and  quickly  routed  the 
British  regulars  under  General  Proctor.  The  other  divi 
sion  he  himself  led  against  Tecumseh's  Indians. 

The  Indians  waited  under  protection  of  the  thick 
brush  until  the  horsemen  were  within  close  range;  then 
in  response  to  Tecumseh's  war  cry  all  fired.  Johnson's 
advance  guard  was  nearly  cut  down.  The  horses  could 
not  advance.  Johnson  ordered  his  men  to  dismount 
and  a  terrible  struggle  followed.  Soon  Tecumseh  was 
shot,  and,  the  Indians  missing  him,  gave  up  the  battle  and 
fled.  One  of  them  afterwards  described  the  defeat  in  a 
few  words :  "  Tecumseh  fell  and  we  all  ran/' 

The  war  was  now  ended  in  the  Northwest.  The 
Americans  had  regained  the  posts  taken  by  the  British; 
they  had  subdued  the  Indians,  and  gained  possession  of 
the  lands  in  the  Wabash  Valley.  The  power  of  the 
Prophet  was  destroyed.  Tecumseh  was  dead.  The  Long 
Knives  had  crushed  forever  the  Confederacy  of  Tecumseh, 
but  it  had  taken  upward  of  five  million  dollars  and  an 
army  of  twenty  thousand  men  to  do  it. 


THE   STORY    OF 

OSCEOLA 


BY 

FRANCES  M.   PERRY 


FOUR  IND. — 12 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


I.  THE  EXODUS  OF  THE  RED  STICKS 

The  sun  was  low  in  the  west  and  sent  long  shafts  of 
light  across  the  tops  of  the  trees  that  bordered  a  quiet, 
shining  lake  in  northern  Florida.  It  shone  upon  a  com 
pany  of  Indians  who  were  straggling  along  the  shore, 
and  made  their  bright  turbans  and  many  colored  calicoes 
look  gay  in  spite  of  dirt  and  tatters. 

The  company  was  a  large  one.  In  it  were  not  only 
braves,  but  also  squaws  and  pappooses,  and  a  few  negroes. 
They  trooped  along  with  the  unhurried  swiftness  and 
easy  disarray  of  men  and  women  who  have  journeyed 
for  many  days  and  have  many  days  of  travel  still  before 
them. 

Here  and  there  a  strapping  brave  bestrode  a  horse, 
while  his  squaw  trudged  beside  him,  sharing  with  a 
black  slave  the  burden  of  household  goods.  But  for 
the  most  part  ceremony  had  given  way  to  necessity  and 
the  warriors  went  afoot,  leaving  the  horses  and  mules 
to  carry  the  old  men,  aged  squaws,  and  young  children, 
who  were  too  feeble  to  walk. 

This  was  a  band  of  Red  Stick  Indians  who  had  left 
forever  the  camping  grounds  of  their  fathers  on  the 
Chattahoochee  River,  to  escape  the  oppression  of  their 

179 


i8o 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


powerful  kinsmen,  the  Creek  Indians.  They  had  re 
belled  against  the  rule  of  the  Creeks,  because  the  Creeks 
refused  them  their  share  of  plunder  in  battle,  and  laid 
claim  to  their  lands  and  their  slaves.  The  Red  Sticks 


hated  the  Creeks  so  bitterly  that 
they   could   no    longer   live   near 
them.       They   were    resolved   to 
leave  altogether  the  territory  that  the 
United  States  government  recognized 
as  belonging  to  the  Creeks,  and  seek 
homes  with  the  Seminoles  or  runaways  in  Florida. 

The  Red  Sticks  had  left  the  Creek  country  far  behind 
them,  and  had  arrived,  as  we  have  seen,  in  northern 
Florida.  The  land  into  which  they  had  come  was  un 
cultivated,  wild,  and  sweet.  The  lakes  and  rivers  were 
full  of  fish;  the  forests  were  full  of  game;  fruits  and 
berries  grew  in  abundance.  Everything  seemed  to  in 
vite  the  wanderers  to  tarry  there  and  build  themselves 
homes.  Still  they  marched  on  over  rich  brown  fields, 
past  dancing  lakes  and  streams,  over  fertile  hillsides 


THE  EXODUS  OF  THE  RED  STICKS  181 

shaded  with  live  oak  and  magnolia.  No  spot,  however 
beautiful,  could  induce  them  to  pause  for  more  than  a 
few  days'  rest.  Their  object  was  not  to  find  a  pleasant 
camping  ground  but  to  escape  the  hated  Creeks.  They 
were  bound  for  a  distant  swamp.  On  the  borders  of  the 
Okefinokee  marsh  they  planned  to  make  their  homes. 
There  they  would  be  reasonably  safe  from  the  enemy, 
and  even  if  the  Creeks  should  follow  them  there,  the 
swamp  would  afford  them  a  secure  retreat. 

But  this  goal  was  still  many  miles  away,  and  the 
fugitives  were  now  pressing  toward  a  little  hill,  where 
they  expected  to  make  a  short  halt. 

The  young  men  were  silent  but  alert.  Now  and 
again  one  raised  his  bow  and  brought  down  a  goose  or  a 
wild  turkey,  and  some  youngster  plunged  into  the  thicket 
to  find  it  and  fetch  it  to  his  mother.  Here  and  there 
were  groups  of  women  burdened  with  kettles  and  pans 
and  bundles  of  old  clothes,  or  carrying  small  children 
and  raising  a  great  clamor  of  chatter  and  laughter. 

A  little  apart  from  the  main  company  a  tall  and  hand 
some  Indian  woman  plodded  silently  along  by  herself. 
The  splendor  of  her  kerchief  had  been  faded  by  sun  and 
rain;  her  skirts  were  torn  by  briers,  but  the  necklace  of 
silver  beads  wound  many  times  about  her  throat  retained 
its  glory.  On  one  hip  rested  a  huge  basket,  packed  and 
corded.  Astride  the  other  rode  a  sturdy-limbed  boy  of 
about  four  years  of  age.  Nearly  all  day  the  child  had 
run  by  her  side  without  complaint.  But  toward  evening 
he  had  begun  to  lag  behind,  until  at  last,  when,  after  a 


1 82  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

good  run,  he  caught  up  with  his  mother,  he  clutched  her 
skirts  to  help  himself  along.  Then  she  had  stooped  and 
picked  him  up  with  a  sort  of  fierce  tenderness  and  in  a 
moment  he  had  fallen  asleep. 

Soon  the  Indians  reached  the  hilltop  where  they  were 
to  camp  for  a  few  days.  Their  preparations  for  the 
night's  rest  consisted  chiefly  in  building  camp  fires ;  for, 
though  the  days  were  warm,  the  nights  were  chilly.  Be 
sides,  fires  were  needed  to  cook  food  and  to  keep  the 
wild  beasts  away  during  the  darkness.  A  small  fire  of 
light  brush  was  made  first.  Then  several  large  logs  were 
placed  about  it,  each  with  one  end  in  the  flame,  so  that 
they  looked  like  the  spokes  of  a  great  wheel  radiating 
from  a  center  of  fire.  As  the  ends  of  the  logs  burned 
away,  the  fiery  ring  at  the  center  grew  wider  and  dimmer. 
When  a  hotter  fire  was  wanted,  the  logs  were  pushed 
toward  the  center  till  the  glowing  ends  came  together 
once  more  and  burned  briskly. 

On  the  morning  after  the  Red  Sticks  went  into  camp 
on  the  hill,  while  others  lounged  and  talked  together,  the 
woman  wearing  the  necklace  of  silver  beads  still  kept 
apart.  She  sat  on  the  unburned  end  of  a  fire  log  and 
for  a  time  paid  no  heed  to  the  question  her  small  son  had 
repeated  many  times.  At  last  she  looked  up  and  said : 
"Do  not  ask  again  about  the  baby  with  the  blue  eyes.  Do 
not  think  of  her.  She  does  not  cry  for  you.  She  plays 
with  little  Creek  pappooses.  She  is  not  your  sister  any 
more.  Go,  play  at  shooting  turkeys  with  black  Jim.  He 
loves  you  like  a  brother." 


THE  FLORIDA  HOME 

The  woman  was  the  daughter  of  a  chief.  She  had 
married  a  man  of  her  own  tribe,  but  after  lie  fell  in  battle 
she  married  a  Scotch  trader,  named  Powell,  who  lived 
among  the  Creeks.  When  the  time  came  for  the  flight 
of  the  Red  Sticks  her  heart  turned  to  her  people.  She 
enjoyed  too  much  the  glory  of  being  a  trader's  wife  to 
give  up  her  position  and  her  home  without  much  bitter 
ness.  But  she  was  too  true  an  Indian  to  desert  her 
tribe.  As  her  husband  had  no  notion  of  leaving  his 
trading  station  among  the  Creeks,  she  had  left  him  and 
her  blue-eyed  baby  and  had  come  with  her  kindred,  bring 
ing  with  her  her  little  son,  a  true  Indian,  the  child  of  her 
first  husband. 

The  boy  played  at  shooting  wild  turkeys  with  black 
Jim  that  day,  and  many  times  afterward.  As  time  passed 
he  thought  less  and  less  of  the  blue-eyed  sister  and  more 
and  more  of  his  comrade  with  a  black  skin. 


II.  THE  FLORIDA  HOME 

These  Red  Sticks  were  not  the  first  wanderers  who 
had  sought  homes  and  safety  in  Florida.  For  some 
fifty  years  bands  of  Indians  enticed  by  the  rich  hunting 
grounds,  or  driven  by  the  persecutions  of  the  Creeks, 
had  left  their  kindred  in  Georgia  and  Alabama  to  try 
their  fortunes  in  Florida. 

They  had  found  other  tribes  in  possession  of  the 
peninsula,  but  the  newcomers  were  more  warlike  and 


1 84 


THE  STORY  OF  CSCECLA 


soon  made  themselves  and  their  claim  to  the  land  re 
spected  by  the  natives,      hideed,   the  immigrants   soon 

came  to  be  looked  upon  as 
the  ruling  people.  They 
were  called  Seminoles, 
which  means  runaways. 

The  Seminoles  would 
not  attend  Creek  councils. 
They  refused  to  be  bound 
by  treaties  made  by  the 


SEMTNOLE   INDIANS 

Creeks.     In   all   ways  they  wished  to  be  considered   a 
separate  and  distinct  people. 


THE  FLORIDA  HOME 

Among  the  Florida  Indians  there  lived  a  people  of 
another  race,  the  Maroons  or  free  negroes.  In  those  days 
Florida  was  owned  by  Spain.  Therefore,  American 
slaves  once  safely  within  its  borders  were  free  men.  They 
became  Spanish  subjects  and  their  former  masters  had 
no  power  to  reclaim  them.  Florida  formed  a  convenient 
refuge,  and  slaves  were  sure  of  welcome  there,  especially 
if  they  were  willing  to  exchange  a  white  master  for  a 
red  one.  Most  negroes  were  glad  to  do  this,  for  the 
slaves  of  the  Indians  were  happy,  independent  slaves. 
Their  chief  duty  to  their  masters  was  to  raise  for  them 
a  few  bushels  of  corn  each  year.  Though  the  Indians 
in  general  regarded  themselves  as  superior  to  the  negroes, 
the  two  races  of  exiles  felt  strong  sympathy  and  affection 
for  each  other.  They  lived  in  the  same  manner,  observ 
ing  common  customs.  They  fought  together  against 
a  common  enemy.  They  even  intermarried. 

But  the  country  was  extensive  and  only  thinly  set 
tled;  and  so,  notwithstanding  the  frequent  increase  of 
their  force  by  Indians  and  negroes,  warriors  were  still 
more  valuable  than  land  in  the  eyes  of  the  Seminoles. 
The  tribe  of  Red  Sticks  that  went  to  Florida  in  1808 
was  received  with  great  friendliness. 

The  Indian  woman  with  the  silver  beads  soon  married 
another  brave,  and  went  to  live  on  a  "hammock"  near 
Fort  King,  not  far  from  the  place  where  Ocala  now 
stands.  She  took  with  her  her  son.  He  was  called 
Powell  by  some  who  remembered  his  stepfather,  the 
trader.  But  his  mother  called  him  Osceola,  which  means 


1 86  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

the  rising  sun.  Osceola  grew  up  loving  Florida  as  his 
home.  And,  indeed,  it  was  a  home  that  any  Indian 
might  have  loved. 

The  climate  was  healthful  for  the  Indians,  and  so 
warm  and  pleasant  that  clothing  was  a  matter  of  small 
concern.  The  soil  was  rich,  and  corn  and  koontee  were 
to  be  had  in  abundance.  The  forests  were  full  of  deer 
and  small  game. 

A  few  skins  thrown  over  some  poles  afforded  suffi 
cient  protection  for  ordinary  weather.  But  if  rains  made 
a  more  substantial  dwelling  necessary  the  palmetto  fur 
nished  material  for  posts,  elevated  floor,  and  thatched 
roof. 

Not  least  among  the  advantages  of  the  Florida  home 
were  its  wonderful  waterways  leading  off  through  dense 
mysterious  forests,  where  strange  birds  called  and  strange 
plants  grew — a  labyrinth  full  of  danger  for  the  intruder, 
but  a  safe  and  joyous  retreat  for  the  Seminole  floating 
on  the  dark  water  in  his  dugout. 

Though  the  Indians  could  have  lived  comfortably 
in  this  country  without  much  effort,  the  Seminoles  did 
not  choose  to  live  in  idleness.  They  saw  the  flourishing 
farms  of  the  Spanish  settlers  and  wished  to  have  farms 
of  their  own. 

So  it  happened  that  when  Osceola  was  a  boy  he  saw 
the  Indians  around  him  make  the  beginnings  of  what 
they  believed  would  be  permanent  homes.  He  saw  them 
cultivate  the  soil  and  tend  their  herds  of  cattle  and  horses 
and  hogs.  He  watched  them  build  their  dwellings  and 


THE  FLORIDA  HOME 


I87 


storehouses — palmetto   lodges   without   walls    for   them 
selves,  substantial  log  cribs  for  their  corn  and  potatoes. 

When  a  child,  he  imitated  not  only  the  warriors  and 
hunters,  but  made  cornfields  of  sand  with  tall  grass  spears 
for  cornstalks,  and  built  "camps"  and  corncribs  out  of 
little  sticks. 


FISHING  WITH  A  SPEAR 

As  he  grew  older  he  often  hoed  the  corn  and  ground 
the  koontee  and  drove  the  cattle.  He  did  cheerfully  the 
work  of  a  farmer,  though  he  liked  best  to  hunt  and  fish 
and  explore.  He  had  a  strong  boat  made  by  burning  out 
the  heart  of  a  large  cypress  log.  In  this  he  often  glided 
swiftly  and  noiselessly  down  some  stream  where  the  sal 
mon  trout  lived.  He  held  in  his  right  hand  a  tough 


1 88  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

spear,  made  of  a  charred  reed  with  a  barbed  end.  When 
he  saw  a  fish  almost  as  large  as  himself  close  at  hand 
he  hurled  his  harpoon  at  it  with  all  his  force.  And  the 
fish  darted  off,  leaving  a  trail  of  crimson  in  the  clear  water 
and  dragging  the  boat  behind  it;  for  the  boy  clung  to 
the  end  of  the  spear  and  soused  the  wounded  fish  in  the 
water  until  its  strength  was  exhausted.  Then  with  the 
help  of  a  friend  he  dragged  it  into  the  boat,  and  began 
to  watch  for  another  fish. 

Osceola  was  so  energetic  that  he  enjoyed  work  for  its 
own  sake.  He  had  unusual  endurance,  and  could  keep  at 
work  or  play  long  after  others  were  tired.  He  was  a 
famous  ball  player,  and  distinguished  himself  at  the  green 
corn  dances.  There  he  drank  without  flinching  such  large 
draughts  of  the  bitter  "black  drink"  that  he  was  nick 
named  by  some  "Asseola,"  which  means  "black  drink." 

Once  when  acting  as  a  guide  for  a  party  of  Spanish 
horsemen  he  asked  them  why  they  rode  so  slowly.  They 
told  him  that  as  he  was  unmounted  they  traveled  easily 
to  accommodate  him.  He  laughed  and  replied  that  they 
might  go  as  fast  as  they  liked,  they  would  hear  no  com 
plaint  from  him.  At  this  they  spurred  their  horses  to 
a  livelier  pace.  Then  seeing  that  Osceola  still  seemed  to 
be  making  little  effort  they  rode  faster  and  faster  to  test 
his  swiftness  and  strength.  They  were  soon  convinced 
that  the  young  Indian  had  made  no  idle  boast,  and  rode 
the  entire  day  as  if  all  the  members  of  the  party  had  had 
horses.  When  they  reached  the  end  of  their  journey 
Osceola  seemed  less  tired  than  the  horsemen. 


THE  FIRST  SEMINOLE  WAR  ^9 

Osceola  was  not  only  active  and  enduring.  He  was 
also  generous  and  helpful.  His  bright  face,  his  frank 
manner,  and  true  kindness  made  him  a  great  favorite  with 
all  who  knew  him,  Indians,  negroes,  or  white  men. 


III.  THE  FIRST  SEMINOLE  WAR 

When  Osceola  was  a  light-hearted  boy  of  twelve,  with 
kind  impulses  toward  every  one,  something  happened  to 
rouse  in  him  a  bitter  hatred,  a  thirst  for  blood. 

During  the  War  of  1812  large  numbers  of  negroes  in 
the  South  took  advantage  of  the  general  excitement  to 
make  good  their  escape  from  bondage.  The  Indians  wel 
comed  them  and  shielded  them  from  bands  of  slave  hunt 
ers  that  made  sallies  into  the  Spanish  territory  for  the 
purpose  of  recapturing  them.  In  this  the  Indians  were 
aided  by  the  British,  who  saw  an  opportunity  to  make 
trouble  for  the  republic  on  its  southern  border,  while 
the  United  States  troops  were  occupied  on  the  Canadian 
frontier.  A  British  agent  built  a  strong  fort  on  Spanish 
soil  on  the  Appalachicola  River.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  the  British  withdrew  and  left  the  fort,  well  filled 
with  ammunition,  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians  and  ne 
groes. 

The  Seminoles  and  their  negro  friends  rejoiced  over 
this.  They  could  not  foresee  the  doom  that  this  fort 
was  to  bring  upon  them. 

For  many  years  the  Southern  people  had  complained 


190 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


bitterly  against  the  Seminole  Indians  for  "stealing,"  as 
they  said,  their  slaves.  The  "stealing"  consisted  in  re 
ceiving  and  protecting  runaways.  The  feeling  against 
the  Indians  was  so  strong  that  expeditions  into  Spanish 
territory  had  been  made  by  people  on  the  frontier  to 
capture  slaves  and  punish  the  Seminoles.  But  this  fort 
would  now  be  a  hindrance  to  such  forays,  and  the  slave 
holders  demanded  that  it  should  be  destroyed.  They 
were  so  persistent  in  their  demands  that  General  Andrew 
Jackson  gave  General  Gaines  directions  to  invade  Span 
ish  territory  with  United  States  troops  to  blow  up  the 
fort  and  return  the  "stolen  negroes"  to  their  rightful 
owners. 

For  miles  up  and  down  the  Appalachicola  River  the 
land  along  the  banks  was  cultivated  and  divided  into 
small  farms,  w7here  Indians  and  negroes  lived.  When 
these  farmers  learned  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy  they 
fled  with  their  wives  and  children  to  the  fort  for  pro 
tection.  Over  three  hundred  men,  women,  and  children 
crowded  into  the  fort,  feeling  sure  of  safety.  But  when 
the  troops  attacked  them  by  land  and  water,  and  the 
cannon  roared  about  the  walls  of  the  fort,  they  were  panic- 
stricken.  The  women  and  children  shrieked  and  wrung 
their  hands.  The  men  did  not  know  what  to  do;  they 
rent  the  air  with  fearful  yells,  but  made  little  attempt  at 
resistance.  What  would  they  not  have  given  to  exchange 
the  fort  walls  for  an  open  boat  and  the  endless  waterways 
of  the  forest? 

They  were  not  left  long  to  fear  and  regret,      The 


THE  FIRST  SEMINOLE  WAR 


191 


enemy  promptly  accomplished  its  purpose.  A  redhot 
ball  reached  the  powder  magazine  of  the  fort.  A  terrible 
explosion  followed,  destroying  the  fort  and  bringing 
instant  death  to  two  hundred  and  seventy  of  its  in 
mates. 

The  story  of  the  horrible  death,  of  the  mutilated 
bodies  of  the  injured  men  carried  off  on  the  boats  of  the 
white  men,  spread  all  over  Florida.  At  every  camp  fire 
the  tale  was  told,  and  all  the  old  savage  thirst  for  ven 
geance  was  stirred  in  the  hearts  of  men  who  had  begun  to 
care  for  crops  and  herds  and  to  dream  of  days  of  peace. 

The  Indians  knew  that  peace  with  the  white  man  was 
best  for  them.  But  Indian  blood  had  been  shed  and  peace 
was  impossible.  Preparations  began  at  once  for  what 
was  afterward  known  in  history  as  the  First  Seminole 
War.  The  Indians  bought  arms  and  powder  from  Span 
ish  and  British  traders.  They  practised  shooting.  They 
explored  the  country  for  safe  retreats  and  excellent  am 
bushes.  They  raised  their  crops  and  harvested  them.  A 
year  passed  before  the  first  stroke  of  vengeance  fell. 

A  boat  carrying  supplies  to  Fort  Scott  was  surprised 
by  Indians,  and  its  crew,  passengers,  and  military  escort 
were  overpowered  and  killed.  The  War  Department  had 
been  expecting  some  hostile  act  on  the  part  of  the  Sem- 
inoles,  and  was  ready  for  war.  The  massacre  in  the 
vicinity  of  .Fort  Scott  is  usually  regarded  as  the  cause  of 
the  war  of  1818,  though  it  was  not  without  its  cause,  as 
has  been  shown. 

General   Jackson  promptly   invaded   Florida  with   a 


192 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


strong  force  of  United  States  troops  and  Creek  Indians, 
to  punish  the  Seminoles.  He  was  met  by  a  motley  crowd 
of  Indians  and  negroes.  Even  children  joined  their 
fathers  to  resist  the  approach  of  the  whites  and  Creeks. 
Though  they  did  not  present  an  imposing  appearance,  the 

Florida  Indians  and  their 
allies  proved  to  be  desper 
ate  fighters. 

General  Jackson  first 
moved  against  the  settle 
ments  on  the  Appalachi- 
cola.  The  Indians  and 
negroes  made  a  stand  and 
fought  a  battle,  but  were 
obliged  to  retreat.  Jack 
son  then  secured  the  pro 
visions  the  Indians  had 
stored  there,  burned  the 
villages  and  pushed  on  to 
St.  Marks  and  then  to  the 
ANDREW  JACKSON  valley  of  the  Suwanee. 

On  this  march  he  was  much  troubled  by  Indians  who 
hung  along  his  path,  making  frequent  swift  attacks  and 
then  vanishing  in  the  wilderness.  At  Old  Town  a  battle 
was  fought  in  which  the  Maroons  gave  the  Indians  brave 
assistance.  Here  again  the  forces  of  Jackson  were  vic 
torious.  After  suffering  heavy  losses,  the  Indians  and 
their  allies  retreated.  They  were  pursued  by  a  detach 
ment  of  Jackson's  men  and  driven  far  to  the  south. 


THE  FIRST  SEMINOLE  WAR  IO/3 

The  Indians  had  taken  the  precaution  to  move  the 
negro  women  and  children  out  of  reach  of  the  American 
army,  fearing  that  they. would  be  captured  and  carried 
back  into  slavery,  .but  they  had  been  less  careful  to  conceal 
their  own  squaws  and  pappooses,  and  Jackson  made  hun 
dreds  of  them  captives. 

The  battle  of  Old  Town  closed  the  war.  Jackson, 
feeling  that  the  Indians  had  been  thoroughly  beaten, 
withdrew  from  Florida,  leaving  fire  and  desolation  in  his 
track. 

The  boy  Osceola,  strong  and  straight,  and  with  the 
spirit  of  an  eagle,  had  played  a  man's  part  in  the  war. 
He  combined  with  the  reckless  courage  of  youth  a  deter 
mination  that  made  him  capable  of  good  service  in  Indian 
warfare.  He  was  a  good  scout  and  an  unexcelled  mes 
senger.  Swift  and  light,  and  sure  as  the  arrow  he  shot 
from  his  bow,  he  had  carried  signals  from  chief  to  chief, 
he  had  crept  as  a  spy  past  the  pickets  of  the  enemy,  he 
had  acted  as  runner  and  guide,  taking  women  and  chil 
dren  from  exposed  villages  to  the  secret  recesses  of  the 
forest.  Nor  had  his  youth  exempted  him  from  doing 
the  more  deadly  work  of  war. 

The  Seminoles  had  lost  heavily  in  the  war,  but  as  a 
nation  they  had  gained  some  things  of  great  value.  The 
hardships  they  had  suffered  together  gave  the  various 
tribes  a  stronger  feeling  of  fellowship  than  they  had  had 
before.  Black  men  had  fought  shoulder  to  shoulder  with 
red,  and  would  henceforth  be  less  their  inferiors  and  more 
their  friends. 

FOUR  TND. — 13 


194 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


IV.  GRIEVANCES 


Not  many  days  passed  after  General  Jackson  with 
drew  his  army  from  Florida  before  the  Seminoles  wrere 
again  established  on  the  fertile  lands  from  which  they 
had  been  driven.  They  brought  with  them  their  flocks 
and  herds.  Before  long  their  simple  dwellings  were  re 
built  and  the  Seminole  villages  seemed  as  prosperous  as 
ever. 

The  slaveholders  of  the  South  felt  that  Florida  was 
still  a  dangerous  neighbor.  They  saw  that  to  mend 
matters  it  was  necessary  that  Florida  should  be  made  a 
part  of  the  United  States  in  order  that  the  government 
should  have  authority  over  the  Seminoles.  So,  in  the 
year  1821,  through  the  influence  of  Southern  statesmen 
the  territory  of  Florida  was  purchased  from  Spain  for 
five  million  dollars. 

Now  that  the  people  of  the  United  States  owned 
Florida  they  wished  to  occupy  the  land,  but  the  Seminoles 
claimed  it.  Many  were  unwilling  to  recognize  the  jus 
tice  of  this  claim,  however;  for  it  was  held  that  as  the 
Indians  were  not  native  tribes  but  were  Creeks  they 
should  be  compelled  to  go  back  to  Georgia  and  live  with 
their  kindred. 

This  proposal  gave  the  Indians  great  alarm.  They 
expected  momentarily  that  an  attempt  would  be  made 
to  expel  them  from  their  homes.  By  spreading  a  report 
that  Jackson  was  coming  to  seize  their  property  and 
drive  them  back  to  live  with  the  Creeks,  bands  of  lawless 


GRIEVANCES  195 

men  created  such  a  panic  among  the  Indians  that  they 
fled  into  the  forests  and  swamps,  leaving  their  provisions 
and  property  for  the  plunderers  to  carry  off. 

Border  troubles  increased  until  action  could  not  be 
postponed  longer.  A  council  was  called  at  Camp  Moultrie 
in  1823,  where  a  treaty  was  made  between  the  United 
States  government  and  the  Seminole  Indians. 

By  the  terms  of  this  treaty  the  Indians  were  to  give 
up  all  their  land  north  of  the  Withlacoochee  River,  ex 
cept  a  few  tracts  reserved  for  chiefs.  They  were  bound 
to  stay  within  the  limits  of  the  lands  assigned  them,  and 
if  found  in  the  northern  part  of  the  territory  without 
passports  were  to  suffer  thirty-nine  stripes  on  the  bare 
back,  and  give  up  their  firearms.  They  were  also  pledged 
to  assist  in  recapturing  fugitive  slaves,  who  in  the  future 
should  seek  refuge  among  them. 

In  return  for  what  they  had  given  up  the  Seminoles 
were  to  receive  from  the  United  States  at  once,  provisions 
for  one  year  and  six  thousand  dollars  worth  of  cattle  and 
hogs ;  and  for  twenty  years  thereafter,  an  annuity  of  five 
thousand  dollars  was  to  be  paid  to  them.  They  were  also 
assured  that  their  rights  would  be  protected.  The  United 
States  promised  "to  take  the  Florida  Indians  under  their 
care  and  patronage,  and  afford  them  protection  against 
all  persons  whatsoever,"  and  to  "restrain  and  prevent  all 
white  persons  from  hunting,  settling,  or  otherwise  intrud 
ing,  upon  said  lands." 

The  effects  of  this  treaty  were  neither  beneficial  nor 
lasting.  The  Indians  were  moved  from  their  homes 


1 96  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

to  the  southern  part  of  the  peninsula,  where  the  land 
was  poor.  While  they  had  once  been  happy  and  pros 
perous,  they  now  became  miserable  and  destitute,  and 
dependent  on  the  annual  allowance  from  the  government. 
The  lands  they  relinquished  were  soon  occupied  by  white 
settlers,  and  the  red  men  and  the  white  were  again  neigh 
bors.  Of  course,  the  border  troubles  were  renewed.  The 
white  men  would  never  be  satisfied  until  the  Indians  were 
expelled  from  the  peninsula  altogether. 

The  Indians  were  aware  that  the  white  settlers  were 
eager  to  have  them  sent  away.  They  tried  to  keep  peace 
and  avoid  trouble.  If  any  of  their  number  violated  the 
treaty,  the  Indians  punished  him  themselves,  even  inflict 
ing  the  ignominious  thirty-nine  stripes.  The  white  men, 
however,  were  bent  on  making  mischief.  Indeed,  one 
of  the  lawmakers  of  the  Territory  said  frankly:  "The 
only  course,  therefore,  which  remains  for  us  to  rid  our 
selves  of  them,  is  to  adopt  such  a  mode  of  treatment  to 
wards  them  as  will  induce  them  to  acts  that  will  justify/ 
their  expulsion  by  force." 

The  Indians  had  yielded  many  points  for  the  sake  of 
peace,  but  they  were  determined  not  to  leave  Florida. 
They  believed  that  if  they  could  abide  by  the  terms  of 
the  treaty  of  Camp  Moultrie  for  its  full  period  of  twenty 
years  the  United  States  government  would  admit  their 
right  to  stay  in  Florida  permanently. 

Osceola  was  most  active  in  trying  to  preserve  peace. 
He  had  now  grown  to  manhood.  He  had  married 
Morning-Dew,  the  daughter  of  a  chief,  and  they  were 


GRIEVANCES 


197 


living  together  happily  near  Fort  King.  Osceola  was 
not  a  chief,  but  he  was  well  known  and  liked  among  the 
Indians.  He  used  his  influence  to  keep  the  rash  young 
men  from  violating  the  treaty.  He  wished  to  see  the 
Seminoles  do  their  full  duty  to  the  white  people,  not  be 
cause  he  was  fond 
of  the  white  race, 
but  because  he 
thought  it  well  for 
the  Indians  that 
the  peace  should 
not  be  broken. 

His  eagerness 
to  keep  the  Indians 
in  order  made  him 
greatly  liked  at 
Fort  King.  His 
services  were  often 
demanded  there  as 
guide  or  informer. 
But  while  he  made 
every  effort  to  keep 
the  Indians  from 
doing  wrong,  he  did  not  think  the  white  men  blameless 
and  said  so  frankly.  He  accused  them  of  failure  to  pun 
ish  men  who  were  guilty  of  committing  crimes  against 
the  Indians,  of  unfairness  in  seizing  negroes,  of  theft  of 
property,  and  of  withholding  annuities.  Osceola's  was  a 
good  kind  of  patriotism — he  did  not  consider  his  enemies 


OSCEOLA 


198  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

right,  but  he  wanted  his  own  people  to  be  right,  and 
did  his  best  to  make  them  so. 

But  Indians,  who  are  by  nature  revengeful,  could  not 
be  expected  to  endure  wrongs  without  some  retaliation. 
Their  complaints  of  injustice  were  met  by  the  proposi 
tion  that  they  move  beyond  the  Mississippi,  out  of  the 
white  man's  reach. 

The  nature  of  their  grievances  is  clearly  shown  in  a 
"talk"  which  Chief  John  Hicks  sent  to  the  President  in 
January,  1829.  He  said: 

*  *  *  We  are  all  Seminoles  here  together.  We 
want  no  long  talk;  we  wish  to  have  it  short  and  good. 
We  are  Indians  and  the  whites  think  we  have  no  sense; 
but  what  our  minds  are,  we  wish  to  have  our  big  father 
know. 

"When  I  returned  from  Washington,  all  my  war 
riors  were  scattered — in  attempting  to  gather  my  people 
I  had  to  spill  blood  midway  in  my  path.  I  had  supposed 
that  the  Micanopy  people  had  done  all  the  mischief,  and 
I  went  with  my  warriors  to  meet  the  Governor  with  two. 
When  I  met  the  Governor  at  Suwanee  he  seemed  to  be 
afraid;  I  shook  hands  with  him.  I  gathered  all  my 
people  and  found  that  none  was  missing,  and  that  the 
mischief  had  been  done  by  others.  The  Governor  had 
them  put  in  prison.  I  was  told  that  if  one  man  kills  an 
other  we  must  not  kill  any  other  man  in  his  place,  but 
find  the  person  who  committed  the  murder  and  kill  him. 
One  of  my  people  was  killed  and  his  murderer's  bones  are 
now  white  at  Tallahassee.  Another  one  that  had  done 


GRIEVANCES  199 

us  mischief  was  killed  at  Alpaha.  A  black  man  living 
among  the  whites  has  killed  one  of  my  people  and  I 
wish  to  know  who  is  to  give  me  redress.  Will  my  big 
father  answer?  When  our  law  is  allowed  to  operate, 
we  are  quick;  but  they  say  the  black  man  is  subject  to  the 
laws  of  the  white  people ;  now  I  want  to  see  if  the  white 
people  do  as  they  say.  We  wish  our  big  father  to  say 
whether  he  will  have  the  black  man  tried  for  the  murder 
of  one  of  our  people.  If  he  will  give  him  up  to  us,  the 
sun  shall  not  move  before  he  has  justice  done  to  him. 
We  work  for  justice  as  well  as  the  white  people  do.  I 
wish  my  friend  and  father  to  answer.  In  answer  we 
may  receive  a  story,  for  men  going  backwards  and  for 
wards  have  not  carried  straight  talks. 

"I  agreed  to  send  away  all  the  black  people  who  had 
no  masters,  and  I  have  done  it ;  but  still  they  are  sending 
to  me  for  negroes.  When  an  Indian  has  bought  a  black 
man  they  come  and  take  him  away  again,  so  that  we 
have  no  money  and  no  negroes,  too.  A  white  man  sells 
us  a  negro  and  then  turns  around  and  claims  him  again, 
and  our  father  orders  us  to  give  him  up.  There  is  a 
negro  girl  in  Charleston  that  belongs  to  my  daughter — 
her  name  is  Patience.  I  want  her  restored  to  me.  She 
has  a  husband  here;  she  has  a  child  about  a  year  old. 
I  want  my  big  father  to  cause  them  to  be  sent  to  me,  to  do 
as  he  compels  me  to  do,  when  I  have  just  claims.  .If 
my  father  is  a  true  friend,  he  will  send  me  my  property 
by  our  agent,  who  has  gone  to  Washington.  I  have 
been  told  by  the  Governor  that  all  runaway  negroes  must 


200  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

be  given  up,  but  that  all  those  taken  in  war,  were  good 
property  to  us ;  but  they  have  taken  away  those  taken  in 
war,  and  those  we  have  raised  from  children.  *  *  * 
"Will  my  father  listen  now  to  the  voice  of  his  chil 
dren  ?  He  told  me  we  were  to  receive  two  thousand  dol 
lars'  worth  of  corn — where  is  it?  We  have  received 
scarcely  any,  not  even  half,  according  to  our  judgment, 
of  what  was  intended  for  us.  If  the  Governor  and 
the  white  people  have  done  justly  in  this  we  wish  our 
big  father  to  let  us  know.  We  were  promised  presents 
for  twenty-one  years;  we  have  received  nothing  but  a 
few  promises.  It  seems  that  they  have  disappeared 
before  they  reached  us,  or  that  our  big  father  did  not  in 
tend  to  give  them  to  us.  We  were  promised  money,  but 
we  have  not  received  a  cent  for  this  year.  What  has 
become  of  it?  We  wish  our  big  father  to  ask  the  Gov 
ernor.  The  white  people  say  that  we  owe  them,  which 
is  not  true.  We  did  take  some  goods  of  an  Indian  trader, 
Mr.  Marsh,  to  whom  the  Governor  had  promised  part 
of  our  money.  We  took  the  goods  because  we  were 
afraid  we  should  never  get  what  was  ours  in  any  other 
way;  they  amounted  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  We 
understand  that  Mr.  Bellamy  has  received  from  the  Gov 
ernor  sixteen  hundred  dollars;  what  is  it  for?  The  In 
dians  do  not  owe  him  anything, — he  has  lost  no  property 
by  us, — we  have  taken  none  of  his  cattle.  If  a  tiger  has 
killed  one,  it  is  charged  to  the  Indians.  If  they  stray  away 
and  are  lost  for  a  time,  it  is  charged  to  the  Indians.  He 
has  lost  nothing  by  us ;  but  my  people  have  suffered  loss 


GRIEVANCES  2OI 

from  him.  He  has  taken  all  the  Indians'  hogs  that  he 
could  lay  his  hands  on.  *  *  *  He  has  taken  hogs- 
one  hundred  head — from  one  man.  We  can  not  think  of 
giving  away  sixteen  hundred  dollars  for  nothing.  Ac 
cording  to  the  white  man's  laws,  if  a  man  takes  that 
which  does  not  belong  to  him,  he  has  to  return  it  and 
pay  for  the  damages.  Will  our  great  father  see  that 
this  man  restores  to  us  what  he  has  unjustly  taken  from 
us,  for  we  look  to  our  big  father  to  fulfill  his  promises 
and  give  us  the  presents  and  money  that  are  due  to  us. 
We  understand  that  Colonel  Piles  has  received  some  of 
the  money  that  is  due  to  us ;  he  is  a  good  man ;  when  we 
were  perishing  with  hunger  he  gave  us  to  eat  and  drink. 
He  is  entitled  to  what  he  has  received.  It  appears  that 
the  Seminoles  who  have  done  no  mischief,  have  to  suffer, 
as  well  as  the  few  that  have  been  guilty — this  does  not 
appear  to  be  right  to  us.  By  stopping  our  money,  the 
Governor  has  prevented  our  paying  just  debts,  the  debts 
we  owe  to  the  licensed  Indian  traders,  who  have  trusted 
us  under  the  expectation  that  we  would  pay  them  when 
we  received  our  money.  Our  father  has  put  two  agents 
to  look  over  us;  our  agent,  Colonel  Humphries,  has  not 
seen  any  of  the  money  or  presents  that  belong  to  us. 
*  *  * 

"I  am  getting  to  be  very  old,  and  I  wish  my  bones 
to  be  here.  I  do  not  wish  to  remove  to  any  other  land, 
according  to  what  I  told  my  father.  When  great  men 
say  anything  to  each  other,  they  should  have  good  mem 
ories.  Why  does  Colonel  White  plague  me  so  much 


202  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

about  going  over  the  Mississippi  ?     We  hurt  nothing  on 
this  land.     I  have  told  him  so  before." 


V.  THE  TREATY  OF  PAYNE'S  LANDING 

One  day  when  Osceola  was  at  Fort  King  he  was 
told  that  a  great  council  was  to  be  held  at  Payne's  Land 
ing,  about  twenty  miles  from  the  fort.  The  Indians' 
"  white  father  "  had  sent  special  messengers  to  talk  with 
the  Seminoles,  and  all  the  leading  men  of  the  nation  were 
summoned  to  come  to  hear  his  words. 

Osceola  knew  that  the  message  was  about  the  Sem 
inoles'  leaving  Florida.  He  was  bitterly  opposed  to  that 
project.  He  knew  that  some  of  the  old  chiefs  were  very 
easily  influenced,  and  that  the  white  men  had  a  way 
of  getting  them  to  make  promises  in  council  which  they 
afterwards  regretted.  He  therefore  wished  that  none  of 
the  Indians  would  attend  the  council.  Then  no  action 
could  be  taken. 

He  went  around  advising  men  not  to  go  to  Payne's 
Landing.  But  the  white  men  sent  their  messengers 
near  and  far,  calling  in  the  chiefs  and  head  men.  Early 
in  May  the  streams  were  full  of  canoes  and  the  forest 
paths  were  traveled  by  bands  of  Indians  on  their  way  to 
Payne's  Landing.  Seeing  this,  Osceola  decided  to  go  to 
the  council  himself,  and  do  what  he  could  there  to  prevent 
the  chiefs  from  making  any  rash  agreements. 

Osceola  was  not  a  chief,  but  he  was  a  recognized  leader 


THE  TREATY  OF  PAYNE'S  LANDING  203 

of  the  young  men,  and  as  he  sat  in  the  council  house,  stern 
and  alert,  many  a  glance  was  cast  in  his  direction  to  see 
how  he  was  impressed  by  the  white  man's  talk. 

He  listened  to  the  interpreter  eagerly  and  learned 
that  the  President  wished  the  Seminoles  to  give  up  the 
land  that  had  been  reserved  for  them  by  the  treaty  of 
Camp  Moultrie.  In  exchange  they  were  to  occupy  a 
tract  of  land  of  the  same  extent  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River  in  Arkansas  among  the  Creek  Indians.  A  dele 
gation  of  chiefs  was  to  visit  the  country  and  if  "  they  " 
were  satisfied  with  the  country,  the  Seminoles  were  to  be 
transported  to  it  in  three  divisions,  one  in  1833,  one  in 
1834,  and  the  last  in  1835.  Something  was  said  about 
the  payment  of  annuities,  about  the  distribution  of 
blankets  and  homespun  frocks,  and  compensation  for 
cattle  and  slaves  stolen  by  the  whites.  But  the  point  that 
concerned  Osceola  most  of  all  was  that  the  Seminoles 
were  expected  to  leave  Florida  and  live  among  the  Creeks 
west  of  the  Mississippi !  Still  there  was  no  reason  to  be 
distressed  about  it,  he  thought,  for  it  was  to  be  done  only 
if  the  Florida  Indians  were  willing  to  make  the  change, 
and  he  knew  that  the  Seminoles  would  never  consent  to 
leave  Florida.  With  arms  folded  across  his  breast  and 
a  calm  eye  he  watched  one  chief  after  another  take  the 
pen  and  make  at  the  end  of  the  treaty  his  mark  or  signa 
ture. 

A  short  time  afterwards  seven  chiefs  and  the  faithful 
negro  interpreter,  Abraham,  left  for  Arkansas  to  examine 
the  new  country.  The  delegation  returned  in  April,  1833. 


204  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

Then  the  Indians  asked,  "  When  will  the  white  men 
meet  the  red  to  hear  what  they  think  about  going  towards 
the  setting  sun?" 

"  There  will  be  no  council,"  said  the  agent.  "  You 
promised  to  go  if  the  delegates  liked  the  land.  They 
like  the  land.  Now  you  must  go  without  any  more  talk." 

"  No,  no !  We  promised  to  go  if  we  were  suited  with 
the  land  when  they  told  us  about  it!"  exclaimed  the 
Indians. 

The  agent  repeated,  "  You  gave  your  word  to  your 
white  father  that  you  would  go  if  the  country  pleased 
your  chiefs.  The  chiefs  were  well  pleased."  Then  he 
added,  "  They  met  your  white  father's  messengers  on 
the  new  land  and  pledged  their  faith  that  you  would  go. 
They  promised  for  you.  They  signed  another  treaty. 
You  agreed  to  do  as  your  chiefs  wished.  Your  chiefs 
have  promised  your  white  father.  There  is  no  help  for  it. 
You  must  go." 

When  Osceola  heard  .this  he  was  in  a  rage.  The 
white  men  had  got  the  chiefs  away  from  their  own  people 
and  induced  them  to  make  promises  they  had  no  right 
to  make.  What  right  had  Charley  A.  Mathla  to  promise 
for  him  or  to  promise  for  Micanopy,  the  head  chief  of 
the  nation  ? 

Osceola  was  not  the  only  indignant  one.  All  the 
Indians  were  in  a  fury  with  the  government  agents. 
They  felt  that  they  had  been  tricked,  caught  by  a  phrase 
they  did  not  understand.  They  believed  that  undue  influ 
ence  had  been  brought  to  bear  upon  their  chiefs.  Had 


THE  TREATY  OF  PAYNE'S  LANDING  205 

the  delegates  been  allowed  to  return  to  Florida  to  give 
their  report,  some  Indians  would  have  heard  it  with 
favor,  but  all  were  angered  because  the  chiefs  'had  been 
influenced  to  make  an  additional  treaty  at  Fort  Gibson 
without  consulting  their  people.  But  the  Indians  were 
usually  as  severe  in  their  judgment  of  their  own  race  as  in 
their  condemnation  of  another  and  they  did  not  spare  the 
chiefs  who  had  signed  the  additional  treaty.  Men  and 
women  alike  held  them  in  supreme  contempt.  They 
scolded,  they  ridiculed  till  the  men  in  self  defense  declared 
that  they  had  not  signed  the  treaty,  and  gave  so  many 
reasons  why  the  Seminoles  should  not  go  west  that  the 
spirit  against  emigration  was  more  positive  than  ever. 

The  faith  of  even  those  Indians  who  had  striven  to 
keep  peace  with  the  United  States  was  destroyed  by  the 
"  Additional  Treaty  "  and  a  general  feeling  of  ill  will  pre 
vailed.  The  Indians  refused  to  surrender  negroes  claimed 
as  slaves  by  the  white  people,  and  were  so  hostile  that 
in  1834  General  Jackson,  then  president  of  the  United 
States,  determined  to  force  them  to  leave  if  necessary. 
He  had  the  treaties  ratified  by  the  Senate,  appointed  a 
new  Indian  agent,  and  ordered  that  preparations  for  the 
removal  of  the  Indians  should  be  pushed  with  all  speed. 

In  October  the  new  Indian  agent  called  a  council. 
This  time  Osceola  went  about  urging  the  Indians  to 
attend  and  advising  the  chiefs  about  their  talks.  In  the 
council  the  slender,  energetic,  young  warrior  sat  next  to 
the  fat,  inactive  old  chief,  Micanopy.  Osceola  had  no 
right  to  speak  in  council,  but  there  was  no  man  there  who 


206  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

had  more  influence.  If  Micanopy  wavered  under  the 
stern  eye  of  the  white  man,  he  heard  the  voice  of  Osceola 
in  his  ear  and  did  the  young  man's  bidding. 

Micanopy  denied  signing  the  treaty  of  Payne's  Land 
ing.  When  shown  his  mark  he  declared  that  he  had  not 
touched  the  pen,  though  he  had  been  on  the  point  of 
doing  so,  "  for,"  he  said,  "  the  treaty  was  to  examine  the 
country  and  I  believed  that  when  the  delegation  returned, 
the  report  would  be  unfavorable.  It  is  a  w^hite  man's 
treaty,  and  the  white  man  did  not  make  the  Indian  under 
stand  it  as  he  meant  it."  He  finished  by  saying  that  he 
had  agreed  to  the  treaty  of  Camp  Moultrie  and  that  by 
the  terms  of  that  treaty  southern  Florida  belonged  to  the 
Seminoles  for  twenty  years,  scarcely  half  of  which  had 
passed. 

Other  chiefs  spoke  and  said  bitter  things.  The  agent 
became  angry  and  threatened  to  withhold  the  annuity 
unless  the  Indians  signed  a  paper  agreeing  to  leave  with 
out  further  trouble. 

At  this  Osceola's  eyes  flashed  fire;  he  sprang  up  like 
a  tiger  and  declared  that  he  did  not  care  if  the  Indians 
never  received  another  dollar  of  the  white  man's  money; 
he  and  his  warriors  would  never  sign  away  their  liberty 
and  land  for  gold.  Then,  drawing  his  knife  from  his  belt, 
he  raised  it  high  in  the  air  and  plunged  it  through  docu 
ment  and  table,  exclaiming,  "  The  only  treaty  I  will  sign 
is  with  this !" 


HOSTILITIES 


VI.  HOSTILITIES 


207 


The  new  Indian  agent,  General  Thompson,  had 
marked  Osceola  as  a  man  of  power.  He  thought  it  wise 
to  make  friends  with  him.  So  when  Osceola  went  to 
Fort  King  he  was  cordially  received  by  the  agent.  Once 
on  returning  from  New  York  the  latter  brought  Osceola 
a  beautiful  new  rifle,  which  was  worth  one  hundred  dol 
lars.  Osceola  was  pleased  with  the  rifle  and  pleased  with 
this  evidence  of  General  Thompson's  regard  for  him. 
But  he  was  not  to  be  bought  by  gifts  to  forsake  the  cause 
of  the  Seminoles. 

He  saw  that  the  white  men  were  actually  getting 
ready  to  move  the  Indians;  they  were  preparing  trans 
ports  at  Tampa  and  making  ready  for  the  sale  of  the 
Indians'  cattle.  Another  council  was  called  at  Fort  King. 

On  the  night  before  this  council,  Osceola  spoke  to  a 
gathering  of  chiefs  who  had  met  secretly  in  Micanopy's 
village.  He  told  them  that,  whatever  happened  in  council, 
they  must  be  prepared  to  resist  force  with  force  should  the 
white  men  attempt  to  compel  the  Indians  to  emigrate. 
They  must  take  advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  buy 
powder  and  lead,  to  increase  their  store  of  food  and 
ammunition.  He  advised  them  to  declare  in  council  their 
wish  for  peace,  but  to  maintain  firmly  that  they  were 
determined  never  to  leave  Florida. 

At  the  council  the  next  day,  Jumper  acting  as  spokes 
man  for  the  Indians  expressed  these  views.  When  he 
had  finished,  the  a^ent  arose  and  rebuked  the  Indians 


208 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


for  breaking  their  word.  His  charge  of  dishonor  ex 
cited  the  Indians  and  many  lost  their  tempers.  In  the 
confusion  that  followed,  General  Clinch  threatened  to 


ARREST    OF    OSCEOLA 

order  in  the  soldiers  if  the  Indians  did 

not  sign  the  compact  to  leave  Florida, 

without   further   parley.     This   threat 

proved  to  be  effectual.     Several  chiefs 

signed,  but  three  of  the  leading  chiefs  refused  to  do  so. 

For  punishment  General  Thompson  ordered  that  their 

names  should  be  stricken  from  the  list  of  chiefs.     This 

enraged  the  Indians  and  the  agent  realized  that  he  had 

lost  more  than  he  had  gained  by  the  council.     He  sent 


HOSTILITIES 


209 


word  to  Washington  that  the  Indians  were  in  no  mood  to 
leave  Florida  and  that  there  would  be  bloodshed  if  an 
attempt  was  made  to  enforce  the  treaty  of  Payne's  Land 
ing.  Accordingly,  the  date  for  embarking  was  changed 
to  a  more  distant  date. 

Osceola  made  good  use  of  the  delay  in  adding  to  his 
war  supplies ;  but  one  day  he  was  refused  powder.  This 
indignity  surprised  and  offended  him.  A  refusal  to  give 
an  Indian  firearms  or  powder  was  evidence  of  distrust, 
and  Osceola  was  used  to  respectful  usage.  "  Am  I  a 
negro,  a  slave?"  he  exclaimed.  "  My  skin  is  dark,  but 
not  black.  I  am  a  red  man,  a  Seminole.  The  white  man 
shall  not  treat  me  as  if  I  were  black.  I  will  make  the 
white  man  red  with  blood  and  then  let  him  grow  black 
in  the  sun  and  rain."  His  language  became  so  violent 
that  General  Thompson  ordered  him  put  in  irons  and  cast 
into  prison. 

Alone  in  the  dark,  Osceola  ceased  to  rave.  Thoughts 
of  a  terrible  vengeance  soothed  him.  He  planned  it  all 
carefully.  After  several  days  had  passed  he  seemed 
repentant.  He  asked  to  see  General  Thompson  and  said 
he  had  spoken  in  anger.  He  expressed  his  friendship 
for  the  agent  and  his  willingness  to  assist  in  persuading 
the  Indians  to  live  up  to  their  treaty. 

After  he  was  liberated  Osceola  seemed  as  good  as  his 
word.  His  manner  at  the  Fort  changed.  He  even 
brought  in  two  or  three  sub-chiefs  to  sign  the  treaty. 
The  agent  was  completely  deceived  and  believed  he  had 
gained  a  powerful  ally. 

FOUR  IND. — 14 


210  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

When  the  Indians  learned  that  Osceola  had  been  put 
in  irons  they  felt  his  wrong  as  their  own  and  wished  to 
visit  the  agent  with  swift  punishment.  But  Osceola 
looked  at  the  place  on  his  wrist  where  the  fetters  had  been 
and  said :  '  That  is  my  affair.  Leave  General  Thomp 
son  to  me.  Your  part  is  to  see  that  no  Indian  leaves 
Florida." 

Almost  daily  something  happened  to  show  both  In 
dians  and  white  men  that  they  could  no  longer  live 
together  in  peace.  One  evening  while  a  little  company 
of  Indians  was  camping  in  a  hammock  cooking  supper,  a 
party  of  white  men  came  upon  them,  seized  their  rifles, 
examined  their  camping  equipment  and  then  fell  to  beat 
ing  them.  While  they  were  occupied  in  this  way  some 
friends  of  the  campers  came  up  and  seeing  the  plight  of 
their  comrades  opened  fire  on  the  white  men.  The  latter 
returned  the  fire  and  killed  an  Indian. 

While  the  Indians  blamed  the  white  men  for  this 
affair  the  white  men  held  the  Indians  responsible  for  it. 
They  ordered  out  the  militia  to  protect  the  citizens  and 
punish  the  Indians.  Both  parties  believed  that  the  time 
had  come  for  definite  action.  By  definite  action  the  white 
men  meant  the  transportation  of  the  Seminoles,  the  In 
dians  meant  war.  The  former  pushed  forward  prepara 
tions  at  Tampa,  and  issued  a  summons  to  all  Indians  to 
come  in,  sell  their  cattle  and  pledge  themselves  to  assem 
ble  on  the  first  of  January  1836  for  their  journey.  The 
latter  held  a  council  and  decided  that  while  the  Indians 
promised  to  assemble  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  it 


HOSTILITIES  21 1 

should  be  for  war  rather  than  emigration.  They  further 
agreed  that  the  first  Indian  to  sell  his  cattle  and  prepare 
in  good  faith  to  go  should  be  punished  with  death. 

As  might  be  inferred  from  this  decision,  there  were 
some  Seminoles  whose  loyalty  to  their  race  could  not  be 
counted  on.  A  chief,  Charley  A.  Mathla,  who  had  been 
one  of  the  delegates  to  visit  Arkansas,  was  one  of  these. 
As  he  was  known  to  be  on  good  terms  with  the  white 
people,  Osceola  ordered  that  he  should  be  closely 
watched.  He  soon  learned  that  there  was  only  too  much 
ground  for  his  suspicion.  Charley  was  getting  ready  to 
leave ;  he  had  driven  his  cattle  to  Tampa  and  sold  them  to 
the  white  people.  If  he  were  allowed  to  go  unpunished 
other  wavering  ones  would  soon  follow  his  example. 
Osceola  wished  his  warriors  to  know  from  the  start  that 
punishment  for  disobedience  to  him  would  be  more  swift 
and  terrible  than  anything  they  need  fear  for  disobeying 
the  white  man. 

With  a  few  faithful  followers  he  hastened  through 
the  wilderness  towards  the  village  of  Charley  A.  Mathla. 
There  scouts  brought  him  word  that  Chief  Charley  was 
on  his  way  home  from  Tampa.  The  war  party  hid 
among  the  trees  where  the  trail  to  the  village  passed 
through  a  hammock.  They  had  not  waited  long  before 
the  chief  came  swiftly  along  the  path.  Osceola  rose  and 
fired.  His  comrades  followed  his  example.  Charley  A. 
Mathla  fell  forward  on  the  path  without  a  word,  dead. 

One  of  the  party  seized  a  handkerchief  that  the 
dead  chief  grasped  in  his  hand  and  showed  Osceola 


212  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

that  it  was  full  of  money.  Osceola  took  the  offered 
treasure  and  cast  the  glittering  coins  far  from  him.  The 
Indians  watched  them  disappear  among  the  green  leaves 
with  surprise  and  regret.  But  their  leader  said,  "  Do  not 
touch  his  gold ;  it  was  bought  with  the  red  man's  blood." 


VII.  THE  WAR  OPENED 

In  a  short  time  news  of  the  murder  of  Charley  A. 
Mathla  reached  Fort  King.  With  it  came  a  rumor  that 
the  Indians  were  holding  councils  of  war  in  the  villages 
of  the  Big  Swamp.  But  it  was  impossible  for  the  agent 
to  get  definite  information,  as  the  woods  were  full  of 
hostile  Indian  scouts.  The  runners  who  were  on  friendly 
terms  with  the  men  at  the  fort  feared  to  venture  beyond 
the  protection  of  its  guns  lest  they  should  suffer  the  fate 
of  Charley  A.  Mathla. 

After  the  shooting,  Osceola  and  his  followers  repaired 
to  the  fastnesses  of  Wahoo  Swamp,  where  for  some  time 
Indians  had  been  assembling  from  exposed  villages.  Here 
were  collected  vast  stores  of  ammunition  and  food  sup 
plies,  herds  of  cattle,  women  and  children  and  old  men, 
both  red  and  black,  and  many  warriors  of  the  two  races. 

Osceola  was  now  recognized  as  a  war  chief.  In 
council  no  one  was  listened  to  more  eagerly  than  he. 
While  addressing  the  assembled  warriors  he  said :  "  Re 
member,  it  is  not  upon  women  and  children  that  we  make 
war  and  draw  the  scalping  knife.  It  is  upon  men.  Let 


THE  WAR  OPENED  211 

\J 

us  act  like  men.  Do  not  touch  the  money  of  the  white 
man  or  his  clothes.  We  do  not  fight  for  these  things. 
The  Seminole  is  fighting  for  his  hunting  grounds." 

Definite  plans  were  made  for  opening  the  war  at 
once.  Negroes  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Brooke 
near  Tampa  had  brought  word  that  Major  E.  L.  Dade 
was  to  conduct  reinforcements  from  Fort  Brooke  to  Fort 
King.  The  detachment  would  pass  on  its  march  within 
a  short  distance  of  Wahoo  Swamp  and  might  easily  be 
surprised  and  overpowered.  Plans  were  formed  for  such 
an  attack.  Several  days  would  probably  pass,  however, 
before  Major  Dade's  force,  encumbered  with  cannon  and 
marching  through  marshes,  would  reach  the  point  best 
suited  for  the  Indians'  attack. 

In  the  meantime  Osceola  must  make  a  visit  to  Fort 
King.  There  was  a  white  man  there  whose  scalp  he  had 
sworn  should  be  the  first  one  taken  in  the  war.  With  a 
small  band  of  warriors  he  started  on  his  errand  of 
vengeance. 

Osceola  knew  General  Thompson's  habits.  He  was 
accustomed  to  take  a  walk  after  dinner  while  he  smoked 
a  cigar.  Frequently  he  walked  some  distance  from  the 
fort,  going  out  towards  the  sutler's  house,  where  he  some 
times  had  business.  Osceola  determined  to  wait  for  him 
in  that  vicinity. 

He  and  his  comrades  lay  closely  concealed,  and 
watched  without  ceasing.  But  for  several  days  the 
weather  was  unpleasant  and  the  agent  did  not  go  beyond 
the  fort.  Still  the  Indians  waited.  At  last  a  fine  day 


214 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


dawned,  and  shortly  after  noon  Osceola  saw  from  his 
hiding  place  two  men  approaching  the  sutler's  house. 
From  afar  he  knew  that  one  was  General  Thompson.  He 
crept 'closer  to  the  path;  his  friends  followed;  all  were 
silent  as  serpents.  The  unsuspecting  men  came  nearer, 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

laughing  and  talking  in  easy  security.  Rising  on  one 
knee,  Osceola  took  steady  aim  and  fired.  Instantly  other 
shots  rang  through  the  still  air  and  the  two  men  lay  dead 
on  the  earth. 

The  Indians  quickly  scalped  their  victims.  Then  they 
hurried  to  the  sutler's  house,  where  they  found  several 
men  at  dinner;  they  surrounded  the  house  and  shot  and 


THE  WAR  OPENED  215 

scalped  its  inmates.  When  this  was  done  they  set  fire  to 
the  house  and  took  their  leave  with  an  exultant  war 
whoop.  No  one  pursued  them;  those  who  heard  the 
shots  and  the  war  whoop,  and  saw  the  flaming  house  sup 
posed  a  large  war  party  had  come  to  attack  the  place,  and 
were  afraid  to  investigate. 

The  Indians  meanwhile  left  the  neighborhood  with  all 
speed.  They  had  stayed  longer  than  they  had  intended 
and  they  were  anxious  to  reach  the  swamp  in  time  to 
share  in  the  attack  on  Major  Bade  and  his  men.  They 
set  off  through  the  forest,  a  grim  and  terrible  company, 
smeared  with  war  paint  and  stained  with  human  blood. 
Their  knives  and  tomahawks  were  red ;  fresh  scalps 
dangled  from  their  belts  or  swung  from  poles  carried  over 
their  shoulders.  At  the  head  of  the  company  strode  Osce- 
ola.  On  his  head  he  wore  a  red  and  blue  kerchief  twisted 
to  form  a  turban,  from  whose  center  waved  three  splen 
did  ostrich  plumes. 

Darkness  fell  before  the  company  reached  the  swamp, 
but  as  they  drew  near  to  its  outskirts  they  saw  the  lu 
minous  smoke  of  camp  fires  over  the  trees  and  heard  faint 
yells.  This  told  them  they  had  come  too  late  for  the 
struggle,  but  in  time  to  celebrate  the  victory.  They  were 
greeted  by  the  revelers  with  wild  shouts  of  delight.  All 
joined  in  a  hideous  dance  about  a  pole  on  which  were 
fastened  the  scalps  that  had  been  taken  that  day. 

From  the  old  chief,  Micanopy,  and  his  sub-chiefs, 
Jumper  and  Alligator,  Osceola  learned  the  details  of  that 
dav's  action.  About  two  hundred  warriors  had  taken 


216  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

their  station  in  the  outskirts  of  the  swamp  to  await  the 
coming  of  Major  Bade  and  his  one  hundred  and  ten  sol 
diers.  They  sent  out  scouts  who  brought  them  exact 
information  concerning  Dade's  route  and  all  his  move 
ments.  They  knew  the  information  to  be  reliable,  for 
they  obtained  it  from  Dade's  guide,  Louis,  a  slave,  who 
was  in  sympathy  with  the  Indians  and  Maroons.  On  the 
third  day  of  their  march  the  troops  reached  the  point  the 
Indians  had  decided  upon  as  best  adapted  to  their  pur 
pose.  But  neither  Micanopy  nor  Osceola  was  present  and 
many  wrere  unwilling  to  act  without  them.  Some  young 
warriors  set  out  for  Micanopy' s  camp  and  forced  him  to 
come  with  them  to  the  scene  of  action.  Even  then  he 
advised  delay  and  it  took  all  Jumper's  eloquence  to  induce 
the  old  man  to  give  the  command  for  attack  on  the  fol 
lowing  morning. 

Meanwhile  Dade's  men  spent  a  good  night  in  their 
camp,  little  dreaming  how  near  to  them  was  the  enemy. 
On  the  morning  of  the  twenty-eighth  of  December  they 
resumed  their  march  in  good  spirits. 

The  Indians  had  left  the  swamp  and  hidden  them 
selves  in  a  pine  barren,  near  which  the  roadway  wound. 
On  one  side  was  a  deep  swamp ;  on  the  other,  a  thin  pine 
forest  with  a  swamp  beyond  it.  They  found  hiding 
places  behind  trees  or  on  the  ground  sheltered  by  the  saw 
palmetto  and  brush. 

From  their  hiding  places  the  Indians  saw  the  advance 
guard  come  into  sight,  reach,  and  pass  them.  Still 
Micanopy  did  not  fire  the  signal  shot.  Now  the  main 


THE  WAR  OPENED 


217 


division  was  coming  with  Major  Bade  on  horseback  at 
the  head.  On  marched  the  soldiers  with  unwavering 
tramp,  tramp.  The  warriors  crouched  with  muskets 
ready.  Micanopy  fired  and  Jumper  raised  the  yell.  In 
stantly  the  green  waste  was  awake  with  the  flash  and  bang 


FLORIDA  SWAMP 

of  muskets,  with  death  cries  and  savage  yells.  A  white 
smoke  hid  the  scene  for  a  moment.  When  it  cleared 
away,  the  road  was  strewn  with  the  dead  and  dying.  The 
Indians  having  reloaded  their  guns,  rushed  from  their 
hiding  places  to  finish  their  work. 


2i8  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

Some  of  Dade's  men  sprang-  to  the  thicket  to  seek 
refuge  behind  trees.  They  were  followed  and  shot  down. 
Others  caught  their  feet  in  the  heavy  stems  of  the  pal 
metto  and,  stumbling,  fell  an  easy  prey  to  their  pursuers. 
The  officers  who  had  escaped  the  first  fire  did  their  best  to 
rally  the  men.  The  cannon  was  brought  into  action  and 
added  its  roar  to  the  din  of  battle.  But  its  balls  went  over 
the  heads  of  the  Indians  and  they  succeeded  in  shooting 
the  gunners  before  they  could  do  any  harm. 

The  contest  seemed  over.  The  warriors  were  scat 
tered  in  pursuit  of  fugitives  or  busy  scalping  the  dead, 
when  a  negro  brought  word  to  Jumper  that  a  number  of 
the  soldiers  had  collected  and  were  building  a  fort  of  logs 
with  the  cannon  to  protect  them.  Jumper  raised  the  yell 
and  called  together  his  Indians  for  a  charge  on  the  little 
company  of  brave  men  who  were  making  their  last  stand 
behind  tree  trunks  placed  on  the  ground  in  the  form  of  a 
triangle.  The  soldiers  had  exhausted  their  powder-  and 
were  able  to  offer  only  a  feeble  resistance  to  the  savages, 
who  shot  them  down  without  mercy. 

The  Indians  carried  off  their  own  dead  and  wounded 
—  three  dead  and  five  wounded.  But  they  left  the  bodies 
of  Dade's  men  to  tell  their  own  story  to  those  who  should 
find  them.  So  well  were  the  commands  of  Osceola 
heeded  that  months  later  when  white  troops  found  the 
dead,  their  money,  watches  and  clothes  were  untouched. 

The  battle  over,  the  Indians  returned  to  the  swamp  to 
await  Osceola,  count  scalps,  and  celebrate  their  victory. 
Of  one  hundred  and  ten  soldiers  only  four  escaped. 


OSCEOLA  A  WAR  CHIEF  2IQ 

VIII.  OSCEOLA  A  WAR  CHIEF 

As  a  fire  that  has  smoldered  long  flames  up  in  many 
places  at  once,  so  the  war  broke  out  with  several  actions 
in  quick  succession.  The  tidings  of  the  slaughter  at  Fort 
King  had  not  become  generally  known  and  the  Indians 
had  not  slept  after 
Dade's  massacre,  be- 
f  o  r  e  preparations 
were  afoot  for  an 
other  assault. 

Scarcely  had  the 
victors    wearied     of 
shouting   and    danc 
ing  when  an  Indian,  jm  \i^- 
exhausted,   not  with 
revelry,    but    with                     Jj 
swift    running     ^|F 
through    forest    and                              ^ff 
swamp,     came     into                          /^ 
the    camp,  -  bringing      ^  ^>~  ^£ 
important  news.      A     iSJ^fe^^T/^ 
council  of  chiefs  was 

„     ,        r™        i          i       £  INDIAN    RUNNER 

called.    The  bowl  of 

honey  water  was  passed  around  and  when  all  had  drunk 
from  the  deep  ladle,  the  messenger  rose  to  give  his  mes 
sage.  He  told  the  chiefs  that  General  Clinch  had  left 
Fort  Drane  with  two  hundred  regulars  and  four  hundred 
Florida  volunteers,  and  was  already  far  advanced  into  the 


220  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

Indian  country.     Indeed  he  was  even  now  approaching 
the  Withlacoochee  River. 

Micanopy,  with  his  usual  caution,  advised  the  In 
dians  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  such  a  large  force.  But 
his  hearers  were  in  no  mood  to  listen  to  his  faint-hearted 
advice;  they  had  been  emboldened  by  their  recent  vic 
tories  and  responded  to  the  fearless  daring  of  Osceola. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  Indians  and  fifty  negroes  volun 
teered  to  go  with  Osceola  and  Alligator  to  intercept  Gen 
eral  Clinch  and  his  six  hundred  soldiers. 

With  one  accord  the  warriors  bounded  off  towards 
the  ford  of  the  Withlacoochee.  There  the  water  was  only 
two  feet  deep,  and  as  it  was  the  only  place  where  the 
river  could  be  crossed  without  boats,  there  could  be  little 
doubt  that  the  white  general  would  lead  his  forces  to  this 
point  before  attempting  to  cross  the  river. 

For  a  day  and  a  night  the  Indians  waited  to  give  their 
enemy  a  deadly  welcome.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the 
ford  there  was  no  sound  to  interrupt  the  music  of  the 
river,  no  sight  to  disturb  the  peace  of  the  dense  forest. 
But  on  the  morning  of  the  following  day,  scouts  came 
skulking  through  the  trees,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the 
apparently  unpeopled  place  was  alive  with  red  men. 

The  scouts  brought  word  that  General  Clinch  and  two 
hundred  of  his  men  had  already  crossed  the  river.  They 
had  made  the  passage  slowly  and  laboriously  in  an  old 
canoe  that  carried  only  eight  at  a  time.  But  they  were 
now  advancing  on  this  side  of  the  river.  Many  a  war 
rior's  heart  failed  him  when  he  heard  this.  But  Osceola's 


OSCEOLA  A  WAR  CHIEF  221 

dauntless  spirit  rose  to  the  emergency.  He  cheered  his 
men  with  words  of  such  good  courage  that  they  were 
soon  following  him  with  new  enthusiasm  to  a  hill,  where 
he  posted  them  in  a  hammock  to  await  the  enemy. 

On  the  morning  of  the  last  day  of  the  year,  General 
Clinch  advanced  towards  the  hammock.  He  was  aware 
of  the  presence  of  hostile  Indians,  but  not  knowing  of 
the  outrages  they  had  already  committed,  he  felt  reluc 
tant  to  attack  them.  He  sent  messages  to  Osceola  telling 
him  that  it  was  useless  for  the  Indians  to  struggle  against 
the  white  man  and  advising  him  not  to  enter  upon  a  war 
that  could  end  only  with  the  destruction  of  his  race. 

To  this  humane  counsel  Osceola  replied  with  haughty 
independence :  "  You  have  guns,  and  so  have  we ;  you 
have  powder  and  lead,  and  so  have  we;  you  have  men, 
and  so  have  we;  your  men  will  fight,  and  so  will  ours 
until  the  last  drop  of  the  Seminoles'  blood  has  moistened 
the  dust  of  his  hunting  grounds."  He  added,  what  then 
seemed  to  the  whites  an  idle  boast,  that  after  a  few 
weeks'  further  preparation  the  Seminoles  would  be  ready 
to  enter  upon  a  five  years'  struggle  for  the  hunting 
grounds  of  Florida. 

At  about  noon  General  Clinch  charged  up  the  hill. 
He  was  greeted  with  a  lively  fire,  but  his  men  were  tried 
fighters  and  were  not  checked.  On  they  came  calmly  re 
turning  the  fire  of  the  enemy.  The  Indians  and  negroes 
offered  a  determined  resistance.  If  they  wavered,  the 
shrill  and  terrible  "Yo-ho-e-hee"  of  their  leader  gave 
them  new  courage.  Everywhere  his  white  plumes  waved 


222  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

in  the  thick  of  the  fight.  The  fire  of  his  warriors  broke 
upon  the  enemy  always  at  the  most  unexpected  point, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  bravery  of  General  Clinch, 
the  Indians  would  have  driven  the  soldiers  back  to  the 
river,  on  the  other  side  of  which  four  hundred  volun 
teers  were  watching  the  battle.  But  they  held  their 
ground,  and  at  last  Osceola  was  so  seriously  wounded 
that  he  ordered  a  retreat. 

For  an  hour  and  twenty  minutes  the  battle  had  raged. 
The  loss  of  the  Indians  was  slight.  When  at  Osceola's 
signal  the  wild  yells  ceased  and  the  Indians  disappeared 
in  the  forest,  they  bore  with  them  only  three  dead  and 
five  wounded.  General  Clinch  had  suffered  much  heavier 
loss.  Eight  of  his  men  had  been  killed  and  forty 
wounded. 

The  Seminoles  were  highly  elated  by  the  success  of 
the  first  engagements  of  the  war.  They  regarded  the 
battle  on  the  Withlacoochee  as  a  great  victory,  and  Osce 
ola's  praises  were  on  every  lip.  The  old  and  timid 
Micanopy,  head  chief  of  the  Seminoles  by  birth,  kept 
that  title  of  honor.  But  Osceola  who,  before  the  war 
opened,  was  not  so  much  as  a  sub-chief  and  had  but  two 
constant  followers,  had  been  the  real  power  in  planning 
the  hostile  acts  that  opened  the  second  Seminole  war. 
All  knew  this  and  they  now  made  him  head  war  chief  of 
the  nation.  He  was  only  thirty-two  years  old,  but  he 
had  the  respect  of  all.  With  his  own  hand  he  had  taken 
vengeance  on  the  great  white  man  who  had  wronged  him ; 
with  his  own  hand  he  had  punished  the  traitor  chief, 


THE  SEMINOLES  HOLD  THEIR  OWN 


223 


Charley  A.  Mathla.  He  had  planned  the  massacre  of 
Dade's  troops.  With  a  small  band  of  Indians  and 
negroes  he  had  engaged  the  forces  of  General  Clinch  for 
more  than  an  hour,  inflicting  heavy  loss.  His  words  had 
kindled  the  spirit  of  war  throughout  Florida. 

On  the  border,  lawless  young  men  were  spreading 
terror  and  desolation;  in  the  month  of  January  sixteen 
well  stocked  plantations  were  laid  waste  by  the  Indians. 
In  the  distant  swamp,  Indian  women  were  moulding 
bullets  for  the  warriors.  Through  all  the  forest  paths 
war  parties  were  hurrying  towards  the  camp  of  Osceola. 
The  leader  of  each  carried  a  bundle  of  sticks,  each  stick 
representing  a  warrior  under  his  command.  These  were 
given  to  Osceola  —  but  how  many  sticks  there  were  only 
the  Seminoles  knew. 


IX.  THE  SEMINOLES  HOLD  THEIR  OWN 

The  hostile  actions  of  the  Seminoles  at  the  close  of 
the  year  1835  convinced  the  War  Department  of  the 
United  States  that  the  Seminole  Indians  would  not  sub 
mit  to  be  driven  from  one  section  of  the  country  to 
another  like  sheep.  Though  the  combined  force  of  In 
dian  and  negro  warriors  was  not  supposed  to  be  greater 
than  twelve  hundred,  their  treacherous  nature  and  the 
wildness  of  the  country,  made  the  task  of  subduing  them 
so  difficult  as  to  require  many  times  that  number  of 
soldiers.  General  Clinch  was  already  in  the  field  quar- 


224 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


tered  at  Fort  Drane,  not  far  from  the  village  of  Micanopy. 
There  were  several  forts  in  the  Indian  country,  but  they 
were  meagerly  garrisoned.  General  Scott  was  made  com 
manding  general  of  the  army  in  Florida,  with  authority 
to  call  on  the  governors  of  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and 
Alabama  for  assistance.  He  went  to  work  at  once  to 
raise  a  force  for  an  Indian  war. 

Meanwhile  Major  General  Gaines,  who  was  com 
mander  of  the  Western  Military  Department,  started  to 
Florida  with  a  force  of  more  than  a  thousand  men.  He 
ventured  into  the  Seminoles'  country  with  the  hope  of 
meeting  them  and  fighting  a  decisive  battle.  He  passed 
the  scene  of  the  Bade  massacre  and  saw  the  work  the  sav 
ages  had  done,  and  after  burying  the  dead  he  continued 
his  march  to  Fort  King.  But  in  the  whole  of  his  march 
he  saw  not  a  single  Indian.  He  had  expected  to  find 
supplies  for  his  army  at  Fort  King,  but  being  disap 
pointed  in  this,  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  Tampa  with 
all  speed. 

While  looking  for  the  ford  across  the  Withlacoochee 
River  he  ran  into  an  Indian  ambush  and  was  so  har 
assed  by  the  savages  that  he  had  to  give  up  his  plan  of 
crossing  the  river  and  go  into  camp.  He  had  ordered 
General  Clinch  to  meet  him  in  this  neighborhood,  and 
he  sent  out  expresses  to  see  what  prospect  there  was  of 
his  arrival.  The  Indians  were  gathering  in  large  num 
bers,  and  he  believed  that  if  General  Clinch  arrived  in 
time  their  combined  forces  could  surround  them  and 
crush  them.  But  his  supply  of  food  was  so  reduced 


THE  SEMINOLES  HOLD  THEIR  OWN  225 

that  he  was  obliged  to  have  his  horses  killed  to  provide 
the  men  with  meat.  All  the  while  the  Indians  were 
lying  in  wait  and  assailing  all  who  ventured  beyond  the 
fortifications  of  the  camp. 

On  the  fifth  of 
February  a  negro 
who  spoke  good 
English  came  to  the 
camp  and  asked  to 
see  General  Gaines. 
The  latter  supposed 
he  was  a  messenger 
from  General  Clinch, 
and  ordered  that  the 
negro  be  sent  at  once 
to  his  tent.  To  the 
general's  surprise  the  CAESAR  AND  GENERAL  GAINES 
negro  announced  that  he  was  Caesar,  the  slave  of  the 
Seminole  chief  Micanopy,  and  that  he  had  been  sent  by 
the  Indians  to  say  that  they  were  tired  of  fighting  and 
wished  to  make  a  treaty  of  peace.  General  Gaines  told 
Caesar  that  he  had  no  power  to  make  treaties,  but  that  if 
the  chiefs  would  pay  him  a  visit  the  next  day,  he  would 
g'rant  them  a  truce  and  notify  the  President  of  the  United 
States  that  his  red  children  wanted  to  be  at  peace. 

Caesar  had  acted  without  consulting  any  one;  he  had 
been  a  favorite  and  had  his  own  way  with  Micanopy 
until  he  thought  himself  greater  than  his  master.  He 
had  grown  tired  of  the  hardships  of  war  and  decided  to 

FOUR  IND. — 15 


226  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

put  a  stop  to  it.  When  he  returned  and  gave  a  report  of 
his  visit,  the  Indians  were  so  angry  that  they  were  ready 
to  kill  him.  The  negroes,  however,  defended  him,  and 
Osceola,  fearing  trouble  between  the  allies,  used  his  influ 
ence  to  save  him.  Osceola's  interference  in  Caesar's  be 
half  displeased  some  of  the  chiefs  so  much  that  they 
deserted  without  ceremony. 

As  Osceola  was  ready  enough  to  visit  the  camp  of 
General  Gaines  to  see  his  force,  he  went  with  other  chiefs 
on  the  following  day,  as  Caesar  had  promised,  to  hold  an 
interview  with  General  Gaines.  Scarcely  had  the  inter 
view  begun  when  General  Clinch  arrived  and  seeing  a 
crowd  of  Indians  at  the  entrance  of  the  camp  fired  on 
them.  This  action  broke  up  all  parley;  the  Indians 
thought  they  had  been  dealt  with  treacherously  and  fled. 

Since  the  Indian  forces  had  been  weakened  and  the 
strength  of  the  enemy  greatly  increased,  Osceola  decided 
that  it  would  be  best  for  his  warriors  to  withdraw  and 
gave  directions  for  them  to  disperse.  The  next  day  the 
two  generals  found  their  enemy  gone.  Their  supplies 
were  too  low  to  justify  an  attempt  to  pursue  them,  and 
General  Gaines  returned  to  Tampa  and  General  Clinch 
to  Fort  Drane  without  accomplishing  anything. 

Though  General  Clinch  had  not  attempted  to  follow 
the  Indians,  Osceola  and  his  warriors  lost  no  time  in 
finding  his  stronghold.  They  succeeded  in  making  his 
fine  plantation  at  Fort  Drane  so  uncomfortable  that  in 
July  when  his  crops  were  at  their  best  he  was  obliged  to 
leave  it.  Osceola  immediately  took  possession  of  the 


THE  SEMINOLES  HOLD  THEIR  OWN 

place,  and  occupied  it  with  grim  pleasure  until  he  was 
driven  out  a  month  later  by  Major  Pearce. 

During  the  spring  and  summer  several  skirmishes 
between  the  Indians  and  United  States  soldiers  occurred, 
in  which  the  Indians  and  their  black  allies  fought  with 
remarkable  pluck,  perseverance,  and  success. 

The  want  of  troops  trained  for  Indian  fighting,  the 
unwholesome  climate,  ignorance  of  the  country,  the 
absence  of  roads  and  bridges,  and  the  difficulty  of  getting 
supplies  had  made  it  almost  impossible  to  invade  Florida 
without  large  sacrifice  of  life  and  treasure.  The  people  of 
the  United  States,  not  appreciating  the  difficulties,  com 
plained  so  much  of  the  delay  that  General  Scott  was 
removed  from  the  command  and  General  Jesup  was  pro 
moted  to  the  command  in  Florida. 

In  November,  before  General  Jesup  assumed  control, 
an  engagement  took  place  which  for  a  time  threatened 
to  close  the  war.  On  the  eighteenth  of  November  a 
force  of  five  hundred  soldiers  attacked  a  company  of 
Indians.  After  a  fierce  battle  the  Indians  fled,  leaving 
twenty-five  dead  on  the  field.  This  was  counted  by  them 
their  first  defeat,  for  so  long  as  they  carried  away  their 
dead  they  did  not  admit  themselves  to  be  defeated. 
Three  days  later  they  rallied  to  meet  General  Call,  who 
was  advancing  upon  Wahoo  swamp  with  over  a  thousand 
men.  This  was  the  stronghold  of  the  Indians.  Here 
their  provisions,  their  cattle,  their  wives  and  children 
were  hidden.  The  Indians  had  much  at  stake  and  made 
a  strong  defense.  At  last,  however,  they  were  compelled 


228  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

to  retreat  across  the  river.  But  they  took  their  stand 
on  the  opposite  bank  behind  a  sand  ridge,  prepared  to 
fight  to  the  death. 

The  commander  knew  that  if  he  could  penetrate 
the  Wahoo  swamp  successfully  he  would  bring  the  Semi- 
nole  War  to  an  end ;  but  before  him  rolled  the  swift  dark 
waters  of  the  Withlacoochee,  and  beyond  waited  the  In 
dians  like  tigers  at  bay.  He  decided  not  to  make  the 
attempt. 


X.  OSCEOLA  AND  GENERAL  JESUP 

On  the  eighth  of  December  1836,  under  most  favor 
able  circumstances,  General  Jesup  took  command  of  the 
Florida  War  and  entered  upon  an  energetic  campaign. 
He  had  under  his  command  about  eight  thousand  men. 
Among  these  were  several  hundred  Creek  Indians  hired 
to  fight  the  Seminoles  with  the  promise  of  "the  pay  and 
emoluments,  and  equipments  of  soldiers  in  the  army  of 
the  United  States  and  such  plunder  as  they  may  take  from 
the  Seminoles." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Osceola  had  told  the  In 
dians  that  the  war  was  not  against  women  and  children. 
General  Jesup  took  a  different  view  of  the  matter.  His 
first  step  was  to  make  a  series  of  sudden  raids  upon  the 
villages  on  the  Withlacoochee  in  which  he  seized  unpro 
tected  women  and  children.  By  his  frequent  sorties  he 
drove  the  Indians  south  or  divided  them.  On  the  twelfth 
of  January  he  reported  that  he  had  sent  mounted  men  in 


OSCEOLA  AND  GENERAL  JESUP  229 

pursuit  of  Osceola,  who  was  hiding  with  only  three 
followers  and  his  family. 

The  capture  of  women  and  children  broke  the  spirit 
of  the  Indians.  They  felt  that  if  their  wives  and  chil 
dren  must  be  sent  to  Arkansas  perhaps  they  would  be 
happier  there  with  them  than  in  Florida  without  them. 
Accordingly  many  listened  with  favor  to  General  Jesup's 
invitation  to  come  to  Fort  Bade  and  hold  a  council  to 
decide  on  terms  of  capitulation. 

On  the  sixth  of  March,  1837,  five  chiefs  and  a  large 
number  of  sub-chiefs  met  General  Jesup  at  Fort  Bade. 
They  agreed  to  emigrate  according  to  the  terms  of  the 
treaty  of  Payne's  Landing,  but  insisted  that  their  negroes 
should  be  allowed  to  accompany  them.  This  point  was 
at  last  conceded  them,  and  the  fifth  article  of  the  terms 
of  capitulation  contained  these  words :  "The  Seminoles 
and  their  allies  who  come  in  and  emigrate  to  the  west 
shall  be  secure  in  their  lives  and  property;  their  negroes, 
their  bona  fide  property,  shall  accompany  them  west." 

Large  numbers  of  Indians  expressed  their  willing 
ness  to  sign  these  terms  and  assembled  at  a  point  near 
Fort  Brooke  on  Tampa  Bay,  where  twenty-eight  vessels 
waited  in  the  harbor  to  transport  them.  Even  Osceola 
is  said  to  have  sent  word  that  he  and  his  family  would 
emigrate  with  the  rest.  The  camp  at  Fort  Brooke  grew 
larger  every  day. 

General  Jesup  was  well  satisfied.  He  reported  that 
the  Florida  war  was  ended.  And  indeed  it  might  have 
been  had  the  terms  of  the  agreement  been  adhered  to. 


230 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


But  slave  claims  were  pushed;  unprincipled  men  went 
into  the  Indians'  territory  and  seized  negroes;  there  was 
bitter  complaint  against  the  fifth  article  of  the  compact. 
At  last  General  Jesup  was  induced  to  change  that  article 
so  that  it  should  contain  a  promise  by  the  Indians  to 
deliver  up  all  negroes,  belonging  to  white  men  who  had 
been  taken  during  the  war. 

This  change  was  made  with  the  knowledge  and  con 
sent  of  only  one  chief,  Alligator.  When  the  Indians  in 
general  became  aware  that  the  terms  of  capitulation  had 
been  tampered  with  they  were  highly  indignant. 

General  Jesup  appointed  a  day  on  which  all  negroes 
taken  during  the  war  were  to  be  brought  in,  but  no  atten 
tion  was  paid  to  his  order.  He  then  sent  Osceola  the 
following  message:  "I  intend  to  send  exploring  parties 
into  every  part  of  the  country  during  the  summer,  and 
I  shall  send  out  all  the  negroes  who  belong  to  the  white 
people,  and  you  must  not  allow  the  Indians  or  their 
negroes  to  mix  with  them.  I  am  sending  for  blood 
hounds  to  trail  them,  and  I  intend  to  .hang  every  one  of 
them  who  does  not  come  in." 

When  Osceola  received  this  message  and  learned  that 
ninety  negroes  had  already  been  seized  by  General  Jesup 
as  belonging  to  the  whites  he  declared  that  the  agreement 
had  been  violated  and  that  the  signers  were  therefore  no 
longer  bound  by  it.  He  instructed  those  encamped  at 
Tampa  to  disperse.  The  old  chief,  Micanopy,  refused 
to  do  so  or  to  give  the  command  to  his  people.  One 
night  early  in  June,  Osceola  entered  the  camp  and  visited 


OSCEOLA  AND  GENERAL  JESUP  231 

the  tent  of  the  sleeping  Micanopy.  As  he  had  always 
done  before,  the  old  man  yielded  to  the  wonderful  per 
sonal  influence  of  Osceola  and  did  his  bidding  like  a 
child. 

On  the  morning  of  the  fifth  of  June,  General  Jesup 
was  awakened  by  an  officer  who  came  hurrying  to  tell 
him  that  the  Indians  had  gone.  Surely  enough  the 
great  camp  had  vanished  in  the  night.  The  captives 
had  fled.  Already  they  \vere  safe  in  their  marshy  fast 
nesses.  Families  were  reunited ;  all  had  had  rest  and 
food  and  clothes.  The  coming  sickly  season  would  make 
it  impossible  to  pursue  them  till  their  growing  crops 
were  harvested.  The  Seminole  war  with  all  its  diffi 
culties  was  reopened. 

Osceola,  who  a  few  months  before  had  been  a  hunted 
fugitive  with  only  three  followers,  without  hope  for 
himself  or  his  people,  was  again  a  powerful  war  chief. 
With  a  brighter  outlook  his  natural  cheerfulness  of  dis 
position  returned,  and  he  hoped  and  planned  great  things 
for  the  coming  autumn. 

Early  in  September  he  learned  that  his  good  friend 
"  King  Philip "  had  been  captured  with  eleven  fol 
lowers  by  General  Joseph  Hernandez.  King  Philip's 
son,  Wild  Cat,  came  -to  him,  saying  he  had  been  to 
St.  Augustine  to  see  his  father,  that  the  palefaces  had 
treated  him  well  and  had  allowed  him  to  carry  his  father's 
messages  to  his  friends.  The  old  chief  wanted  Osceola 
to  come  to  St.  Augustine  to  arrange  for  his  liberation. 

Osceola,  always  generous  and  ready  to  serve  a  friend, 


232 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


sent  back  to  General  Hernandez  a  finely  wrought  bead 
pipe  and  a  white  plume  to  indicate  that  the  path  between 
them  was  now  white  and  safe  and  to  inquire  whether 
it  would  be  safe  for  his  return. 

Wild  Cat  soon  returned  to  Osceola  with  presents  and 
rfriendly  messages  from  the  general.  With  the  hope  of 
gaining  the  release  of  King  Philip,  Osceola  started 
for  St.  Augustine  with  a  large  attendance  of  warriors. 
Wild  Cat  went  in  advance  to  announce  his  coming.  With 
a  great  show  of  regard  General  Hernandez  went  out  to 
meet  Osceola  with  a  store  of  supplies.  He  met  his  ad 
vance  guard,  and  learning  that  Osceola  would  not  ar 
rive  till  evening,  left  word  that  Osceola  should  choose 
a  camping  ground  near  Fort  Peyton,  and  went  back  to 
communicate  with  General  Jesup. 

The  next  morning  General  Hernandez  rode  out 
dressed  in  full  uniform  and  escorted  by  his  own  staff  and 
many  of  the  officers  of  General  Jesup' s  staff.  He  found 
Osceola  and  Chief  Alligator  with  seventy-one  picked 
warriors  assembled  under  the  white  flag  for  council. 
The  warriors  had  brought  with  them  the  women  of 
King  Philip's  family,  and  about  one  hundred  negroes  to 
be  given  up  in  exchange  for  the  prisoner. 

After  the  usual  greetings  and  ceremonies  General 
Hernandez  took  out  a  paper  and  said  that  General 
Jesup  wanted  to  know  the  Indians'  answer  to  these  ques 
tions  :  "  What  is  your  object  in  coming  ?  What  do  you 
expect?  Are  you  prepared  to  deliver  up  at  once  the 
slaves  taken  from  the  citizens  ?  Why  have  you  not  sur- 


THE  IMPRISONMENT   OF  OSCEOLA 


233 


rendered  them  already  as  promised  by  Alligator  at  Fort 
King?  Have  the  chiefs  of  the  nation  held  a  council  in 
relation  to  the  subjects  of  the  talk  at  Fort  King?  What 
chiefs  attended  that  council  and  what  was  their  deter 
mination?  Have  the  chiefs  sent  a  messenger  with  the 
decision  of  the  council?  Have  the  principal  chiefs, 
Micanopy,  Jumper,  Cloud,  and  Alligator,  sent  a  mes 
senger,  and  if  so,  what  is  their  message?  Why  have 
not  those  chiefs  come  in  themselves?" 

When  Osceola  heard  these  questions  he  struggled  to 
answer.  He  began  a  sentence  but  could  not  finish  it. 
Turning  to  Alligator  he  said  in  a  low  husky  voice :  "  I 
feel  choked.  You  must  speak  for  me."  Perhaps  his 
suspicions  were  aroused  by  the  questions;  perhaps  he 
saw  afar  the  lines  of  soldiers  closing  round  his  camp  — 
at  any  rate  he  was  deeply  troubled. 

Finding  the  answers  given  by  Alligator  unsatisfac 
tory,  General  Hernandez,  following  the  orders  of  Gen 
eral  Jesup,  gave  the  signal  and  the  troops  surrounding 
the  camp  closed  in  upon  the  dismayed  Indians  and 
marched  them  off  to  the  fort. 

In  this  way  was  the  man  that  the  generals  in  Florida 
pronounced  the  war  spirit  of  the  Seminoles  conquered. 


XI.  THE  IMPRISONMENT  OF  OSCEOLA 

Osceola  and  his  warriors  were  taken  by  their  captors 
to  St.  Augustine  where  they  were  imprisoned  within  the 


234 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


strong  walls  of  the  old  Spanish  castle  of  San  Marco.     It 
was  very  hard  for  these  Indians  who  loved  liberty  better 

than  life  to  be  shut 
up  in  narrow  dark 
cells,  to  be  obliged 
to  give  up  the  war 
path,  to  sit  for 
hours,  and  days, 
and  weeks,  and 
months  in  inac 
tion,  not  knowing 
what  need  their 
friends  had  of 
them  but  imagin 
ing  the  heaviest 
possible  misfor 
tunes  for  those 
they  held  dear. 

Osceola  could 
have  stood  the  tor 
ture  of  wrenched  limbs  and  of  fire  with  haughty  spirit 
unbent.  What  was  that  to  this  torture  of  the  white 
man's,  the  dim  light,  the  quiet,  the  narrow  walls,  the 
waiting,  the  not  knowing,  the  fearing  of  evil  ? 

The  warrior  still  held  his  head  high,  but  gradually 
the  fierce  gleam  in  his  eye  changed  to  a  look  of  gentle 
ness,  of  unspeakable  sadness,  and  his  winning  smile  came 
to  have  so  much  sorrow  in  it  that  men  said  to  each  other 
after  they  left  him,  "  His  heart  is  breaking,"  He  was 


FORT  SAN  MARCO 


THE  IMPRISONMENT  OF  OSCEOLA  235 

allowed  to  see  and  talk  with  other  prisoners.  When 
Micanopy  and  other  chiefs  were  brought  to  the  fort  he 
was  told  of  their  arrival.  When  Wild  Cat,  after  fasting 
many  days,  escaped  through  the  sniall  window  in  his  wall 
with  the  help  of  a  rope  made  from  his  blanket,  Osceola 
was  aware  of  it.  But  none  of  these  things  seemed  to 
move  him. 

General  Jesup  told  the  chiefs  that  he  would  urge  the 
United  States  authorities  to  let  them  and  their  people 
stay  in  southern  Florida  if  they  would  agree  to  keep 
their  tribes  at  peace,  guard  the  frontier,  and  themselves 
accompany  him  to  Washington.  Micanopy  showed  a 
little  distrust  when  he  heard  the  proposition,  but  Osceola 
took  off  his  proud  head  dress  and  removing  one  of  the 
beautiful  plumes  from  it  handed  it  to  the  man  who 
had  betrayed  him,  saying  simply :  "Give  this  to  my 
white  father  to  show  him  that  Osceola  will  do  as  you 
have  said." 

The  suggestion  made  by  General  Jesup  was  not  con 
sidered  favorably  by  the  government,  but  he  was  in 
structed  to  carry  out  the  Jackson  policy  of  transporta 
tion.  He  had  collected  so  many  captives  at  St.  Au 
gustine  that  he  feared  trouble  and  decided  to  separate 
them.  He  sent  all 'the  negroes  to  Tampa  and  the  In 
dians  to  Charleston,  S.  C.  Late  in  December  the  Indians 
were  shipped  on  the  steamer  Poinsett.  Among  them 
were  Osceola,  Micanopy,  Alligator  and  Cloud.  Besides 
the  chiefs  one  hundred  and  sixteen  warriors  and  eighty- 
two  women  and  children  were  sent  to  Fort  Moultrie. 


236  THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 

Osceola' s  two  wives  and  little  daughters  were  in  the  com 
pany.  They  arrived  at  Charleston  on  the  first  day  of 
January,  1838,  after  a  quiet  voyage. 

At  Fort  Moultrie,  Osceola  was  treated  with  much 
consideration;  he  was  allowed  to  walk  about  the  enclosure 
and  to  receive  visitors  in  his  room.  Still  he  ate  little  and 
every  day  grew  more  wan  and  thin.  All  the  chiefs  were 
so  low-spirited  that  great  efforts  were  made  to  cheer 
them.  A  very  popular  actress  was  then  playing  at  the 
Charleston  theater,  and  knowing  the  Indian's  love  of 
whatever  is  gay  and  spectacular,  the  authorities  at  the 
fort  decided  to  take  the  chiefs  to  the  theater  on  the  sixth 
of  January. 

Public  sympathy  had  been  excited  by  reports  of  the 
capture,  imprisonment,  and  failing  health  of  the  once 
terrible  Osceola.  The  theater  was  crowded  with  Charles 
ton  people  more  anxious  to  see  the  chief  than  the  beautiful 
actress.  The  Indians  were  led  into  the  brilliantly  lighted 
hall  filled  with  staring  men  and  women.  They  looked 
neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left,  but  took  their  places 
in  quiet  and  watched  with  steady  eyes  and  unsmiling 
faces  the  entertainment  provided  for  them.  Osceola 
had  made  no  objection  to  coming,  but  he  sat  amidst  the 
mirth  and  glamor,  so  sad  and  stern  that  those  who  had 
brought  him  there  and  those  who  had  come  to  see  him 
felt  rebuked.  His  trouble  was  too  real  to  be  easily  com 
forted,  too  deep  to  be  an  amusing  spectacle.  The  papers 
of  the  day  recorded  the  strange  scene  of  the  captive 
Osceola  at  the  play  in  poetry  and  prose. 


THE  IMPRISONMENT  OF  OSCEOLA 


237 


Later  an  incident  happened  in  which  Osceola  took 
some  interest.  George  Catlin,  who  had  traveled  for  sev 
eral  years  among  the  Indians  and  was  regarded  by  them 
as  a  friend,  came  to  the  fort  to  paint  the  portraits  of  the 
chiefs  for  the  United  States  government.  When  Mr. 
Catlin  asked  Osceola  if  he  might  paint  his  portrait  the 
latter  seemed  greatly  pleased.  He  arrayed  himself  in  his 
gayest  calico  hunting  shirt,  his  splendid  plumed  turban, 
and  all  his  ornaments,  and  stood  patiently  while  the 
artist  worked.  Mr.  Catlin  enjoyed  painting  the  fine  head, 
with  its  high  forehead  and  clear  eye.  He  made  two  por 
traits  of  Osceola,  both  of  which  are  now  in  the  collec 
tion  of  Indian  portraits  at  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  in 
Washington. 

Mr.  Catlin  came  to  be  well  acquainted  with  the  chiefs 
whose  portraits  he  painted,  and  used  to  have  them  come 
to  his  room  in  the  evenings,  where  they  all  talked  with 
great  freedom.  He  felt  deep  sympathy  for  Osceola,  who 
told  him  all  the  details  of  his  capture.  WThen  Osceola 
learned  that  Mr.  Catlin  had  been  west  of  the  Mississippi 
he  asked  him  many  questions  about  the  country  and  the 
Indians  living  there. 

But  every  day  Osceola's  health  grew  more  feeble  and, 
on  the  day  when  the  second  portrait  was  finished,  he  be 
came  so  ill  that  he  was  thought  to  be  dying.  He  rallied, 
however,  and  when  Mr.  Catlin  left  a  few  days  later,  it 
was  with  the  hope  that  Osceola  would  regain  his  health 
and  strength.  He  requested  the  fort  doctor  to  keep  him 
informed  about  the  chiefs  condition. 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


XII.  THE  END 

The  day  after  George  Catlin  left  Fort  Moultrie,  Osce- 
ola  had  a  severe  attack  of  throat  trouble.  He  refused  to 
take  the  doctor's  medicine.  A  Seminole 
medicine  man  came  and  gave  the  sick 
man  Indian  remedies.  Osceola's  wives 
nursed  him  tenderly,  but  in  spite  of  all 
they  could  do  he  grew  rapidly  worse 
and  died  on  the  thirtieth  of  January, 
1838,  after  three  months  of  captivity. 

Dr.  Wheedon  sent  the  following  in 
teresting  account  of  his  death  to  Mr. 
Catlin : 

"About  half  an  hour  before  he  died, 
he  seemed  to  be  sensible  that  he  was 
dying;  and,  although  he  could  not 
speak,  he  signified  by  signs  that  he 
wished  me  to  send  for  the  chiefs  and  for  the  officers  of 
the  post,  whom  I  called  in.  He  made  signs  to  his  wives 
by  his  side,  to  go  and  bring  his  full  dress  which  he  wore 
in  time  of  war;  which  having  been  brought  in,  he  rose 
up  in  his  bed,  which  was  on  the  floor,  and  put  on  his 
shirt,  his  leggings  and  his  moccasins,  girded  on  his  war 
belt,  bullet-pouch  and  powder-horn,  and  laid  his  knife  by 
the  side  of  him  on  the  floor. 

"  He  then  called  for  his  red  paint  and  looking-glass, 
which  latter  was  held  before  him.  Then  he  deliber 
ately  painted  one  half  of  his  face,  his  neck,  and  his 


"MEDICINE  MAN' 


THE  END 


239 


throat  with  vermilion,  a  custom  practised  when  the 
irrevocable  oath  of  war  and  destruction  is  taken.  His 
knife  he  then  placed  in  its  sheath  under  his  belt,  and 
he  carefully  arranged  his  turban  on  his  head  and  his 
three  ostrich  plumes  that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  wear 
ing  in  it. 

"  Being  thus  prepared  in  full  dress,  he  lay  down  a 
few  moments  to  recover  strength  sufficient,  when  he  rose 
up  as  before,  and  with  most  benignant  and  pleasing 
smiles,  extended  his  hand  to  me  and  to  all  of  the  officers 
and  chiefs  that  were  around  him,  and  shook  hands  with 
us  all  in  dead  silence,  and  with  his  wives  and  little 
children. 

"  He  made  a  signal  for  them  to  lower  him  down 
upon  his  bed,  which  was  done,  and  he  then  slowly  drew 
from  his  war-belt  his  scalping-knife,  which  he  firmly 
grasped  in  his  right  hand,  laying  it  across  the  other  on 
his  breast,  and  in  a  moment  smiled  away  his  last  breath 
without  a  struggle  or  a  groan." 

Osceola  was  buried  with  some  ceremony  near  the 
fort.  Officers  attended  his  funeral  and  a  military  salute 
was  fired  over  his  grave.  This  show  of  respect  com 
forted  a  little  the  grief-stricken  friends  of  the  chief. 

It  is  said  that  Osceola  was  not  allowed  to  rest  in  peace 
even  in  death.  A  few  nights  after  his  burial  men  of  the 
race  that  despised  him  as  a  barbarian  came  by  night, 
opened  his  grave  and  cut  his  head  from  his  body.  But 
openly  only  respect  was  shown  to  the  remains  of  the 
greatest  chief  of  the  Seminoles.  His  grave  was  in- 


240 


THE  STORY  OF  OSCEOLA 


closed  with  an  iron  railing  and  marked  with  a  stone  bear 
ing  the  following  inscription : 

Osceola, 

Patriot   and   Warrior, 

Died   at   Fort   Moultrie, 

January  30,  1838. 

The  war  did  not 
close  with  the  death  of 
Osceola.  Wild  Cat  took 
command  and  the 
trouble  continued  till 
1842.  During  the  war 
the  Seminoles  lost  many 
brave  warriors;  several 
thousand  Indians  and 
five  hundred  of  their 
allies  were  driven  from 
their  homes  in  Florida 
to  a  strange  land  which 
they  were  obliged  to  share  with  their  old  enemies,  the 
Creeks. 

The  white  men  gained  the  lands  of  the  Indians,  a  vast 
and  rich  new  territory  for  settlement,  removed  a  refuge 
for  runaway  slaves,  and  established  peace  on  the  South 
ern  frontier.  For  these  gains,  however,  they  had  paid  a 
heavy  price  in  treasure,  in  human  lives,  and  in  honor. 


REMOVAL   OF 

SOUTHERN 

INDIANS 


END 


Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
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